Should carer's allowance rules be changed

I believe that the stupid rules around carer's allowance should be changed.
If you take care of someone disabled more than 35 hrs a week you get it unless you earn more than£100 a week.
This is bullshit.
My wife took care of her sister for years but went to work and got minimum wage.
She couldnt take the jobs she wanted because of her sister.
She looked after her for 128 hrs a week and got nothing for it. If she claimed carers allowance she would be done for fraud.
She had no life except work and take care of sister. Couldnt go out with friends as had to take care of sister.
Absolutely ridiculous rules around this.

 

Is it not you're wifes choice to look after her though? as technically she could have been put into a home which would have saved her loads of time but she must have chosen not to so she could look after her herself so im not sure if she should be paid.

Should maybe be something people think about when they are younger, i've never thought about it but if I was to become disabled and someone had to do everything for me id tell them to put me into a home without a seconds thought.

 

Pure gibberish

 

Don't you get help though?

My cousins granny was in her bed for about 10 years before she died and his aunt looked after her and im pretty sure they got a nurse woman who came out and cleaned her etc

Or do you mean help as in money.

If his wife can work and care for the sister too, then the sister cant really be in bad condition. The only two people I have known who cared for people is a lassie I know who's da was paralysed and she had to be with him all the time and as I mentioned above my cousins granny who again had to be looked after all the time. Although maybe Drakhan watched her while his wife was at work.

 

Well said!...Hopefully legislation changes will give carers more help and support, but i think no vote has hindered cares rights in this country now!

 

Isn't the internet great.
Anybody without any knowledge of the actual circumstances can post a load of heartless pish and we all have to put up with it.
I assume that you're posting this * directly from your seat at the Tory party conference in Birmingham.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Iain Duncan Smith, "Lover of the Celtic" and fully fledged humanitarian..

 

Wife's sister had Huntindon's Chorea. Same as mother.
Hereditary diseasew with no cure and my wife had the worry that she may have it.
Wife on minimum wage. Living in sister's house. The house would have been sold to pay for her care leaving my wife homeless. I wasnt on scene at this time.
My wife had given up her life in Greece to take care of her sister.
Because her sister had Huntingdon's she would have had to pay for care home fees unlike Parkinsons and Alzheimers sufferers even though it's just as bad a disease.

So my wife took care of her sister the hours that she wasnt working knowing that she could be diagnosed with the same incurable condition and the state would refuse to help with any care home fees.

 

Having a job in addition to caring would give carers a life beyond simply looking after someone - give them back some normality.

I don't see how it's any different to working two jobs. Caring's a job. As Marie says, carers essentially work for the state. If they weren't doing it, a more highly paid professional would be brought in.

 

The care home fees for the nearest care home that deals with this particular condition cost £850 a week.
The nearest NON specialist care home fees were £650 per week.

She had an assessment to get continuous care funding paid for by NHS and they denied her this. 1 week later she was dead. She hadn't been able to get out of bed for 3 weeks and was getting thinner all the time.
She was 5 1/2 stone when she died and was 5ft 10. Skin and bone and they had the * cheek to say she was alright enough not to get the funding for the specialist care she needed.

 

Sorry to hear about your Wifes Sister.

Your Wife's sister should/could have looked into placing the house in a trust fund (removes it from local authority reach, although there are rules ie she would not be able to do it now probably) while its not that cheap to arrange £5k* approx, Its very cheap in the long run. (* depends area value house etc).
If you and your Mrs have bought a house, its something you should look into, any IFA should be able to help

Edit I assumed that your wifes sister owned her house , if she did not ignore.

 

Kind of been said already, but...

It stands to reason that if it costs say £500 per week to keep someone in state care, then it would be of far more cost benefit to the state to have a home carer paid around £300 per week to do the job. I would also go as far as to say these people should be classed as working for the NHS, and receive essential benefits like holidays and training.

PS.....just guessing with the figures.....

 

carers in this " united kingdom " are treated disgracefully by whatever government but can feel rightly proud of themselves.

 

Your wife is a heroine. She should had been given more financial support from the government, especially with her sister's illness.

I'm taking care of my partially disabled mother, and my pregnant wife, while fighting to keep my pregnant wife in the country. I don't get paid a dime, and I can't take a job on because my wife is being threatened by cruel immigration rules that is intended to rip apart British families. Our days are numbered now, because of those f**king nawbags. I have to decide who to take care of, my mother or my wife and child, as it looks like they won't be welcome in the UK. It doesn't help being an only child and the fact that my mother lives alone.

The whole system is a joke.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't completely finish reading the thread. Sorry for your loss.

 

My sisters husband has Huntington's as did his late mother and brother. So sorry for your loss mate

I care for my mum full time. She's registered totally blind, has Alzheimer's and will be 87 next week. Putting her in a home would have been out of the question as she would be totally disorientated and wouldn't receive adequate attention. I know what I am talking about. People with dementia don't always fare well in these situations and its far worse when your blind. She would most likely feel isolated as these people are far too busy to concentrate too much on one person. At home all her physical, psychological and social needs are met. I don't regret taking her in although she is hard work at times.
Nursing homes don't work for everyone and the suggestion that carers bring it on themselves is a great excuse for not giving them adequate support.

 

Thanks everyone for their comments.
It has been hard for me at times to cope with the worry that my wife is going through.
She had to take care of her mum at age of 16 onwards and then her sister when he brother * off with the inheretence money from her mother's estate.
She hasn't had the test yet for Huntington's and doesn't want to. Added to that is the worry over her daughter because if my wife has it then there will be an increased chance, at least 50%, of her daughter having it.

I know how you feel Jeannie and how difficult it is to cope at times.
I get stressed out at times but never ever show it to my wife as she has enough to worry about.
It helps a little to 'talk' to you Bhoys and Ghirls on here. It also makes me feel a little better when i can help some of you, especially those who have posted on the various depression threads.