Hi My wife’s been diagnosed recently .Shes is in good spirits and her symptoms are mild compared to some at the moment .slurred speech,tiredness ,balance and loss of grip at times.Shes not one for wanting to know to much and is happy for me to do the finding out bits. Practical /financial , car? Can we claim for anything ? I never thought I would be asking that question . We run a successful business ,over 11 years now and employ 7 and before that been in full time work. So paid into the system for over 25 years . Any other tips greatly appreciated , must admit I’m finding it a struggle.
Hi,from my ,own experience with my ppms,car - you will need to inform dvla ,norm here would be to get a 3 yr licence,I would apply for pip (dla),the mistake I made here was trying to fill forms in without any expert advice,resulting in first being declined,then a doctor home visit/report,then tribuneral resulting in indefinite award for dla.I could have saved myself a lot of time/stress had I gone about it with the help of welfare rights from the start of the process,others have used local CAB,with this award I was able to get an automatic vw golf ,a pleasure to drive,love the car and would not want another manual car.PIP you would apply for mobility and care components.Have you made contact with the MS nurse or an occupational therapist could advise on domestics.I have found there is help/support out there,more a case of how to find it.pm me if you wish.Good luck
Hi,let me share my experiences having ppms since 2009,first the car,have you informed dvla ,I have a 3 yr licence,which I think is pretty standard,just have to re apply next year.I have dla higher rate mobility and lower rate care awarded for an indefinite period.The biggest mistake I made was to try and fill the forms in myself without expert help ,resulting in being declined first of all,I then was put in touch with welfare rights ,who assisted my appeal,had home visit from a doctor who wrote a report,this helped as he saw how bad my mobility was,I had letters from physio/ms nurse/occ therapist to support.I did get higher rate mobility at appeal and now drive a vw golf automatic via motability ,a pleasure to drive as I was struggling with a manual car.I would say welfare rights or local cab as a starter,there is help to be had.Good luck
Hi joydivision has given you good advice.
I know it can be a minefield when you`ve never needed to know these things before.
It often happens that no-one tells you what you need to know and we have to do the digging and delving ourselves.
That`s where this site invaluable. Members here have been through the same feelings of despair as you and your wife.
But hang in there hun and you`ll get it sorted…I hope!
If your wife is under 65, PIP may be available to her. Once past that age, Attendance Allowance is applied for if needed.
If you are her carer, you can apply for Carer`s Allowance and earn up to £100 a week besides. CA is around £59 a week. My hubby had that for 13 years and has just gone onto the State pension, so has lost his CA, but he does get a little extra for still looking after me.
If due to work commitments, you are unable to be her carer, and she needs care, she could apply for Direct Payments, from your local council, to pay for that to engage other care.
Hope this helps.
luv Pollx