Hi all, im after some advice on how to qualify as a carer for my elderly mother. She is not on or receiving any of the allowances that are stated on the Gov.uk webpage. I currently shop, cook, clean, assist with all meds doctors calls etc. Do laundry and assist with bathing…any advice happily received, thanks
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Welcome to the forum. Mum clearly needs lots of help.
You need to connect with DWP to sort out benefits for mum, some depend on disability not income, others are means tested.
Do you have Power of Attorney for mum, or are you her DWP Appointee, or does she manage her own money? We can explain more depending on your answers.
You also need to talk to Social Services for care and support.
If you could give us a bit more information about mum’s age, and disability, and your age, it would help. Are you retired, or still working?
Trying to get help and support is a bit like Snakes and Ladders, hopefully we can help you with the ladders and avoid the snakes!
On the forum we share our own experiences about various things, but Carers UK also has a brilliant advice line (which once made me £50 a week better off when I needed it most!) and they can deal in confidence with financial assessments and complicated issues.
Be sure to join our Roll Call, we chat about anything and everything on an informal basis. Usually if someone has a problem, someone else has faced a similar issue before, so if anything is particularly troubling you at the moment, feel free to share it.
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I think your mother needs to claim Attendance Allowance before you can claim Carers Allowance? But I agree with @bowlingbun it is well worth giving the Advice Line a call.
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I agree with the above comments. The Advice Line will be able to help you go through a Benefits Check for you and Mum so that you can ensure you are both getting everything you are entitled to. No-one offers it to you, you have to claim what is rightfully yours - crazy isn’t it?
They will also be able to help guide you to getting a Carer’s Assessment to see what can be done to help YOU and a Care Assessment for Mum so she gets additional help with Council/SS. Hoops to jump through but it can be of use if you stick with it.
We’re here to offer a shoulder, advice, comfort, or just somewhere to vent. BB mentioned “Roll Call” thread - which is where you can have a chat/gossip/sound off or whatever you need.
Good luck.
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