Direct Payments & benefits

Finance and benefits
1

Hi
I’m a carer for my husband who has PPMS, I work 32 hours a week on a little more than minimum wage. We have been told we could pay up to £100 a week for carers to come in. My husband does need a little help with bathing and getting dressed as he has significant cognitive impairment he needs prompting with taking medication, food etc. He doesn’t use a wheelchair but can’t walk very far and uses a scooter to go out, but he only comes out with me as he isn’t safe to go alone. We are having 6 weeks free at the moment carers coming an hour a day for 5 days a week to take him out. If we have to pay £100 a week we can ill afford it. He does get PIP at enhanced rate for both but does not get ESA or any other benefit. Even though he’s worked full time for over 30 years he can’t get it because when he was in his last full time employment he was fired because he kept making mistakes all of a sudden, this was about 2 years before he was diagnosed, so he took a taxi driver job just to get some money coming in but wasn’t paying any NI contributions for 2 years, because he wasn’t earning enough and we weren’t told that it would affect any benefits etc. Shortly after this he was diagnosed with progressive MS and could no longer work and his driving licence was revoked. It seems totally unfair that he’s losing out on benefits through no fault of his own. Does anybody know what do they look into with direct payments, we own our home with a mortgage and have no savings. Any advice would be most welcome. I used to work 40 hours but have gone down a day just to be home for my husband so he can go out instead of being stuck at home all day on his own.

3

ring your local adult social services, they should then recommend you to direct payments in your council. I was told only on monday i wont get it as i have more then 23,500 in savings. Anything under that should be fine.

I used to get it ok when my husband was alive and he worked. so maybe start with adult social services they will do you an assessment then refer you to direct payments. good luck. xxx

4

Thank you Eastendgirl and Crazy Chick for your response, I will see what they say.

Take care

5

thanks for the awesome information.

6

@jackyjoy123 how did you get on?