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- Member
Wed Oct 01, 2014 3:33 pm
This will probably be quite a long and convoluted first post, so thanks in advance for anybody that manages to get all the way through it and/or is able to offer any advice.
About a year ago, due to a combination of splitting up with my long-term partner and losing my job around the same time, I had little choice but to move in to my 84-year-old mother's spare bedroom.
Mentally she's still as sharp as a tack, but she does suffer from many physical problems (heart failure, COPD, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, to name but some). Despite this she used to still be fairly independent, but over the past 6 months or so she, and her eyes in particular (she's on the waiting list for a cataract operation) have got worse, and I've found myself caring for her more and more.
I've looked into it and it seems I would qualify for carer's allowance, though details of how it would affect other benefits are sketchy, which is why I'm posting here. There are a couple of things I'd like advice on, if possible.
She has a professional carer come in every morning to provide personal care. The local council pay so much a month towards the cost of this care, and I wonder whether this money will be affected if I start to get carer's allowance.
Secondly, she currently receives housing and council tax benefit. From what I've read, this might be affected, but again, it's not entirely clear by how much.
I understand that everybody's circumstances are different, but I'm trying to work out whether she would actually end up worse off if I were to claim carer's allowance, meaning I would have to make up the shortfall, thus negating any financial benefits gained from claiming. She's already lost the severe disability premium (I think that's what it was called) due to me moving in, so I don't want to make it worse still.
About a year ago, due to a combination of splitting up with my long-term partner and losing my job around the same time, I had little choice but to move in to my 84-year-old mother's spare bedroom.
Mentally she's still as sharp as a tack, but she does suffer from many physical problems (heart failure, COPD, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, to name but some). Despite this she used to still be fairly independent, but over the past 6 months or so she, and her eyes in particular (she's on the waiting list for a cataract operation) have got worse, and I've found myself caring for her more and more.
I've looked into it and it seems I would qualify for carer's allowance, though details of how it would affect other benefits are sketchy, which is why I'm posting here. There are a couple of things I'd like advice on, if possible.
She has a professional carer come in every morning to provide personal care. The local council pay so much a month towards the cost of this care, and I wonder whether this money will be affected if I start to get carer's allowance.
Secondly, she currently receives housing and council tax benefit. From what I've read, this might be affected, but again, it's not entirely clear by how much.
I understand that everybody's circumstances are different, but I'm trying to work out whether she would actually end up worse off if I were to claim carer's allowance, meaning I would have to make up the shortfall, thus negating any financial benefits gained from claiming. She's already lost the severe disability premium (I think that's what it was called) due to me moving in, so I don't want to make it worse still.
