Over a million people are not having their basic care needs met

[El Cid]

No, it's the opposite. People with ill health are living longer due to advances in medicine. For example with dementia, from the age of 65 your chance of developing dementia doubles every five years. As people live longer then more people have dementia and need some level of support. I don't really see the benefit of life expectancy continuing to increase, I would have thought that as a population we should be asked how much money should go into trying to keep people alive for longer - presumably there is an optimum life expectancy in terms of quality of life.

 

So they should get attendance allowance? And then that money pays for their care?

I dont know how all this is funded.

[Bob Arctor]

So they should get attendance allowance? And then that money pays for their care?

I dont know how all this is funded.

 

If your needs are low then Attendance Allowance / DLA / PIP might cover it. For people with greater needs, they have to pay their disability benefit to the council as a contribution to the cost and the council pays the rest. A substantial support package might cost £15k pa. At the specialist end, e.g. someone with severe autism with risky behaviour you're into the tens of thousands although the NHS might pay some of that.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Bob Arctor

[dangerousedd]

ahh the old burden on the state argument, the Nazi's used that before ww3 to get rid of all the sick and disabled. the medical establishment went along with it wholeheartedly.

[Bob Arctor]

ahh the old burden on the state argument, the Nazi's used that before ww3 to get rid of all the sick and disabled. the medical establishment went along with it wholeheartedly.

 

I don't think anyone on here is making a case for eugenics. Some people would rather check out than suffer the indignity that the underfunded social care system inflicts on some. That is an argument for better funding, which is entirely possible if everyone paid the tax they are supposed to.

[medusa]

You can then apply for Attendance Allowance, and in most cases you won't even need to go for a medical by DSS/Atos or their new equivalent now. They may just write to your GP for confirmation of your condition.

 

Attendance Allowance will be disappearing within a few years, and every time you think that you qualify for one sort of help or another, they move the goalposts anyway.

 

I could claim Carers' Allowance if I'd got someone who qualified for it who was my carer, but my carer is my partner, who earns too much to qualify for it no matter how much he helps me.

[Anna B]

Attendance Allowance will be disappearing within a few years, and every time you think that you qualify for one sort of help or another, they move the goalposts anyway.

 

I could claim Carers' Allowance if I'd got someone who qualified for it who was my carer, but my carer is my partner, who earns too much to qualify for it no matter how much he helps me.

 

I shouldn't worry too much about your partner not getting carer's allowance. As far as I'm aware, any money he would have got for carer's allowance would then have been stopped directly out of your benefits, so, as a couple, you wouldn't have been any better off.

 

---------- Post added 14-10-2016 at 22:56 ----------

 

No, it's the opposite. People with ill health are living longer due to advances in medicine. For example with dementia, from the age of 65 your chance of developing dementia doubles every five years. As people live longer then more people have dementia and need some level of support. I don't really see the benefit of life expectancy continuing to increase, I would have thought that as a population we should be asked how much money should go into trying to keep people alive for longer - presumably there is an optimum life expectancy in terms of quality of life.

 

Dementia is an illness. If it was just a symptom of old age it would be inevitable and everyone would get it, but they don't.

 

Dementia can affect people as young as 35 in rare cases, and early onset dementia is quite common in people over 50, whereas most cases of Dementia occur in people over 75+. But there are millions who don't get it at all.

 

However, there are many tried and trusted methods of dealing with dementia that go a long way to alleviating many of the symptoms, unfortunately they are not routinely applied in British care homes as they require a higher staffing ratio to run therapy groups etc, and in spite of charging as much as £1,000 a week (yes, that's £52,000 a year per person) plus living expenses on top, British homes say they can't afford it. In most cases they prefer to use a chemical cosh to keep patients quiet and less troublesome. I don't blame the staff for this. They work hard but are woefully understaffed to carry out even basic minimum care.

[tinfoilhat]

I shouldn't worry too much about your partner not getting carer's allowance. As far as I'm aware, any money he would have got for carer's allowance would then have been stopped directly out of your benefits, so, as a couple, you wouldn't have been any better off.

 

---------- Post added 14-10-2016 at 22:56 ----------

 

 

Dementia is an illness. If it was just a symptom of old age it would be inevitable and everyone would get it, but they don't.

 

Dementia can affect people as young as 35 in rare cases, and early onset dementia is quite common in people over 50, whereas most cases of Dementia occur in people over 75+. But there are millions who don't get it at all.

 

However, there are many tried and trusted methods of dealing with dementia that go a long way to alleviating many of the symptoms, unfortunately they are not routinely applied in British care homes as they require a higher staffing ratio to run therapy groups etc, and in spite of charging as much as £1,000 a week (yes, that's £52,000 a year per person) plus living expenses on top, British homes say they can't afford it. In most cases they prefer to use a chemical cosh to keep patients quiet and less troublesome. I don't blame the staff for this. They work hard but are woefully understaffed to carry out even basic minimum care.

 

If you have any evidence that basic care isn't being dealt with at any care home (you can put a hidden camera in if you like) contact the CQC immediately.

[Bonzo77]

I am already planning a way out before I get there. I currently pay for my care out of my disability benefits, but they stop at 65 so I will have another plan.

 

Are you saying at 65 you're planning on ending it all?

[Anna B]

If you have any evidence that basic care isn't being dealt with at any care home (you can put a hidden camera in if you like) contact the CQC immediately.

 

I have personal experience, but I cannot give details over a public forum. The person in question has now died.

[Jomie]

The carer's allowance is paid to the carer, not the disabled person. It is meant to replace salary for those people who have given up paid employment to care for someone. Currently it is £62.10 a week or £1.77p per hour for a minimum 35 hour week. If the carer is getting any other kind of income, the carer's allowance will be taxed.

 

CA includes the payment of National Insurance. The carer can take on paid employment as long as the remuneration is not above a certain limit - think it may currently be £100 pw. This is taxed.

 

When the carer reaches pension age the allowance is stopped. The carer is still doing the work and saving the government thousands and thousands of pounds.

 

The effect on the carer's own health has been well studied and it provides ample evidence that many are really suffering, many at a time in their lives when they themselves are elderly and infirm.

 

Funding inevitably gets mentioned when this subject comes up. Billions and billions of pounds are to be spent on HS2 and other things. Don't know how money can be found for this but not for ill and elderly people who have worked and made this country what it is.

 

The government is not going to care for the elderly properly, doubtless because old people are not in a position to protest and exert pressure. They could at least allow us the freedom to choose to end it all peacefully rather than endure years of pain and indignity. That would slash the care budget in half.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Jomie