Carers Poverty Charter

[Scally]

Video clip of the BBC news report. If you look carefully during Imelda's interview you can see me in the background, pretending to do some work
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8064844.stm
And this is the link for Emily's interview
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8064916.stm

Superb - well done Emily, Matt and Imelda - and everyone else behind the scenes too - we all know it's a team effort.
It's the kind of media approach using real life examples and hard hitting persuasive facts that demonstrates why so many charities ten or twenty times bigger than Carers UK regard us as one of the most effective campaigning groups in the UK. With a General Election on the horizon now is the best possible time to be putting on the pressure. We can't afford to wait ten years for social justice!

Across the country, carers are starting to wake up to the fact that only we can change things through direct action and the power of persuasion]http://www.paperclip.org.uk/carers/pove ... _small.jpg[/img]

[krys]

Well Done!!!

I have just watched the videos, and thought they were
excellent.

[Matt Hill]

More organisations have added their names. The core group is now

Alzheimer's Society, Carers UK, Citizens Advice, Counsel and Care, Crossroads Caring for Carers, Every Disabled Child Matters, Mencap, Macmillan Cancer, Motor Neurone Disease Society, Parkinson's Disease Society, Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Rethink, Vitalise.

and we have lots more signing up as we speak!

[krys]

Brilliant

[rosemary]

There has been support from carers who belong to other boards for the elderly/disabled/alzheimers too.

You can add your support here on right hand side.

[ria2703]

HI EVERYONE DON,T NO IF YOU REMEMBER ME FROM LAST YR LOL OUT OF WORK SUICIDEL LOL THE WORKS YOU NO HOW WE CARERS GET WELLLL.
BEEN IN NEW JOB SINCE MARCH AND LOVONG IT BUT!!!!!!
MY HRS WENT UP SO THEY STOPPED MY CARERS ALLOWANCE NOW AS I EARNED OVER £95 I PAY £37 A WEEK IN PETEOL AS WE DON,T GET PETROL ALLOWENCE AND THEY ALLOWED ME AN EXTRA £10 FOR MY PRIVATE PENTION BUT I STILL EARN TO MUCH SO NOW I GET NO HELP FOR LOOKING AFTER MOM FOR THE LAST 17YRS + I NOW HAVE TO KILL MYSELF TO DO OVER 34HRS AWEEK HOMECARE TO MAKE ENOUGH HOURS TO GET MORE TAX CREDITS.
I HAVE C.O.P.D VERY SEVERE PLUS ASMA BUT I HAVE TO KEEP WORKING FOR ME AND MOM TO SERVIVE. WHY DON,T THEY GET RID OF THIS FIXED WAGES RATE SO I CAN AT LEAST GET MY HEALTH BACK ON TRACK AS SOME NIGHTS I WORK TILL 12PM ON THE NIGHT JUST TO MAKE THESE HRS TO 34 AND MY POOR MOM HAS TO BE LEFT ON HER OWN TILL I GET BACK. IM FED UP OF KILLING MYSELF FOR A DECENT WAY OF LIFE COME ON GOVERMENT GIVE US A BREAK YOUR KILLING US ALL AND PUTTING OUR OLD PEOPLE AT RISK. HAVE A HEART YOU GIVE MORE D.L.A. TO ALCOHOLICS WHO RUSH OUT AND SPEND IT ALL ON MORE DRINK WHERE YOUR PRIORITYS WE NEED THAT HELP WE DON,T NEED YOU FUNDING DRUG ADDICTS AND ALCOS THANK YOU. GIVE IT TO THE PEOPLE WHO DO A DESENT JOB AND HAVE A ROLE IN LIFE. RIA.[/b]

[Scally]

Whay hey ... welcome back Ria! Seems like you have a lot to share..

[ria2703]

ARE THESE POLITICAL PEOPLE FROM A DIFFERENT ERA CAUSE HOW CAN THEY IGNORE THE AMOUNT OF CARERS IN THE UK AS IF WE DON,T EXIST.
I LOVE WORKING IT KEEPS ME ACTIVE AND STOPS ME FROM GOING INSANE BUT ON THE OTHER HAND I HATE EATING £1 MEALS AS ITS ALL I CAN AFFORD FOR ME AS I LIKE MOM TO HAVE GOOD FOOD AND FRUIT EVERY DAY. DONT GET ME WRONG I EAT WEEL WORK HARD AND ENJOY MY LIFE NOW BUT NOW IM £53 A WEEK SHORT SO HAVE TO WORK TWICE AS MUCH TO BREAK EVEN AGAIN. THE SOCIAL SAID IF I CAN PROVE SOMEONE SITS WITH MOM THEY MAY ALLOW ME £20 A NIGHT SITTER LMAO DO THEY TELL ALCOHOLICS TO PROVE THEY NOT GOING TO SPEND THEIR D.L.A. ON DRINK NO SO WHY DO IT TO US. I HAVE HAD IT OUT WITH D.L.A. ABOUT THIS BUT THEY SAY ITS FOR THE PERSON TO SPEND AS THEY WISH LMAO. GIVE ME BACK MY £53 A WEEK SO I CAN SPPEND IT AS I WISH. RIA[/b]

[Guest]

I had to give up work 2 years ago to look after my wife who has MS. I am a full time carer getting carers allowance and pension credit and my wife receives incap benefit. Our 'income' works out at the amount the Government says that we need to live on. So whether the carers allowance is doubled or even trebled it won't affect us as whatever other benefits we are on will be reduced to the level that the Government says that we need to live on. Every time there is an increase in one benefit there is a decrease in another benefit to level out the basic amount the Government says what we need to live on.
How will an increase in carers allowance benefit us, if all they are going to do is rob Peter to pay Paul?
We should be making carers allowance the same as DLA allowance which is non means tested.
Does this make sense or am I not understanding what's going on?

[Matt Hill]

We should be making carers allowance the same as DLA allowance which is non means tested. Does this make sense or am I not understanding what's going on?

It does make sense! If CA is increased then there must be a corresponding increase in Carer Premium, otherwise as you say the increase will just be lost for those carers on lower incomes.