Help please for an Old Hero

[Michael Rolls]

I'm lucky - I can afford the 'loss' (I suppose as I never had it, I can't have lost it, but you know what I mean). Another example of 'grind the oldies'

[GrannyMac]

Cass,
Sorry to hear you had difficulty getting through to Age UK, they really must be up against it as so many people need help, if you do manage to get through to them they are really helpful, can't praise them enough.

These benefits and who qualifies for what are a minefield, you mentioned PIP's but I am pretty sure you need to be under state pension age to get this, do check  I could be wrong. If his wife is over pension age she won't get the Carers Allowance either, my sister in law lost hers when she received her pension. Is his wife in is good or bad health? maybe try for AA for her as well if she isn't. 

There is Pension Credit but that is means tested, depends on your income, there is an online Gov. checker where you can input your income and it will tell you if you qualify. Apparently thousands of us oldies miss out on this as we don't think we will get it and don't apply, worth trying.

GrannyMac
You might just as well try for Attendance Allowance, but you will need to help of someone from AGE UK to help you with the form as they know the right way to answer these things, if there are things you can't do without some sort of help you could well qualify.  Husband got it but not until he got help with the form, friend's husband a cancer suffer was turned down until Macmillian helped him with his form.

Too many old people miss out on the help they need because it is so damned difficult to know what you are entitled to claim for and fill in the forms.

Good luck with your applications.  Jac 

Thanks Jacq.  Pretty sure you're right about PIP being for claimants of working age, my friend has a degenerative condition and has just qualified for it, a few months before her state pension age.  I may look at AA, depends how immobile I get! I can still walk ok on the flat, but stairs are proving difficult some days.  

[Cassandra]

It's not fair at all.  When you get beyond pension age it is harder to care for somebody you don't have the energy of a younger person.  My sister in law lost her carers allowance which she had for looking after her disabled son of 52 which she had been doing all his life, she is now a widow and doing it all alone.

I believe the Govt doesn't want too many pensioners living for say 20 years with the joint income accelerants of say 'Carers' twinned with Attendance or DLA, its fr too expensive for them,