Hi again.
So I was recently at an event for work relating to the general election. All the candidates from the constituency where I work were there discussing their campaign. The candidate for the Lib Dems couldn’t make it and they had a stand in instead. It just so happened that the stand in was the Lib Dem candidate for the constituency where I live. I am a strong Labour voter usually but have become a little disillusioned with the party though I will probably vote for them. I just want the Tories out, so I would happily vote for the Greens or Lib Dems if it was leaning that way too. Don’t worry I think the other parties are insane.
I was speaking to the Lib Dem woman after the event finished, and she was so nice. Its made me very torn about my voting position. Her stance supported carers, the NHS most specifically mental health. She also mentioned the raising of personal income allowance. Everything about Lib Dem just seems right to me.
The seat in my area has always been a very safe Labour seat. I think we have only had two different MP’s, the previous one is abit of a political legend. I remember interviewing him when I was 16 for a housing charity which me and a group of documentary filmmakers were doing.
Anyway, I was discussing my situation with her. Well I just said I was an unpaid carer. She mentioned attendance allowance, I’ve heard of this. I never mentioned mums age to be fair to her.
After talking for a while, I went home and looked it up. I found that it will only be given to those above the state pension age which is very unfair.
We’ve recently cancelled mums carers after moving to the new place. We felt like they were not providing adequate support and were more of a hinderance than a help. In the nicest way possible, they had limited english and clearly had not been trained in mental health. There were far too many cultural differences including dealing with preparing food, they didn’t know how to cook certain meals and were always telling her to cook a full meal everyday. I get food is an important part of their culture and that’s cool, but sometimes even the most able bodied of us will chuck some potato smiles in the air fryer and have done with it.
Many of the things they should have been supporting mum with just didn’t happen. And yet they wanted loads of money for it.
After what happened with the council and the fact that there seems to be a written file with big red warning buttons around it, lazers and big shouty alarms saying “do not deal with x and y because they are bad people.” Alright I’m exaggerating, but you get the gist. We just decided enough was enough and it was more hassle than it’s worse. The council seem to have it in their heads that we are vile evil people and yet we’re nothing of the sort.
The place mum moved to has a big charity organisation complex next door which runs lots of activities and support in the day, so mum has found support there and has made friends with lots of the residents and people at the centre. They play bingo and stuff which is a big bonus for mum. She won a gift card last week.
The carers were reluctant to let go, but we decided overwise. Then again it’s just a paycheque for them, and personally I think too many people are setting up care businesses because is a viable business plan right now. The demand is so high that corners in safety and training must be getting cut somewhere.
Anyway, so back to attendance allowance. Lots of people under the state pension age could actually benefit from it, and yet it’s not available. It could benefit both me and mum as a carer because I incur financial loses dealing with some of the things mum needs such as taking days off work for big appointments, driving around, taking her shopping, making meals for her and then delivering them. General form filling as she can’t do it and my biggest job of them all being a glorified admin assistant and supporting her mental health.