Why would someone go on universal credit while taking care of elderly parents?

[lindaandrews]

Hi.

I have no clue about this is so please could someone give me an explanation?

So my father works a low-paid job and is on universal credit. However, previously he wasn’t on universal credit because he worked full time and apparently even though he worked for such a low-paying job, he received enough money to get by.

But because his mother has dementia and he has to take care of her, he can’t work full time and is on universal credit.

I honestly don’t want to sound rude but is it common for adults to sacrifice their salaries/jobs and go onto things like universal credit just to take care of elderly parents while at the same time potentially impoverishing the rest of the family?

Also, why would he be getting universal credit just to take care of an elderly parent - does that meet the eligibility requirements?

Incredibly common to not be able to work fulltime whilst caring for vulnerable elderly parents, though more commonly the daughters that get forced into this position.

I went part time as my husband's health deteriorated. After a year, I asked to go down to 3 days a week. My boss refused, so I quit. I was able to take a reduced pension, however.

Many people in a similar situation apply for Carer's Credit.

I’m assuming the rest of the family are adults. How is he impoverishing you?

If he’s on a low income then he is entitled to UC. He’ll have various commitments to maintain and have a work coach etc, but it’s none of your business. Have you been taking money from him and now he can’t afford if? Is that the issue?

In our case it was because the parents had very healthy pensions. So the son gave up work to “care” for his parents which basically translated to living off their money.

Caring for someone in the family of course impacts the carer’s ability to be in paid employment. Carers allowance which is paid at £81.40 a week is awarded as long as the carer does not earn more than £151 per week on paid employment it is hardly a fortune and caring can be very difficult

How is he impoverishing the rest of the family by claiming money he's entitled to and looking after a parent? I assume he doesn't have young dependent children?

He's unlikely to be able to work full time now he's taken on a carer role.

Yes you can claim UC as a carer, as long as the person you are caring for receives a qualifying disability benefit.

He will receive a Carers Element as part of his UC and he won't have any work related requirements (ie he won't have to look for work or complete work related activities in order to receive UC).

Paying carers UC or Carers allowance is still cheaper for the government than paying for care to look after people who need full time care. And the care system is overrun so without these family/friend carers the system would collapse. You also say in your post that the person has "had to stop work to care for his mother with dementia" so I'm not sure why you also sound so outraged that he's done so? Caring for someone with dementia is hard, it isn't some sort of easy option or cop out.

Of course many people take a reduction in income if they are needed to support their parents or partners when their health declines. I reduced my working hours to be able to spend more time caring for my mum when she began to develop dementia and I would stop work immediately if my husband needed extra help. Reducing my hours had a financial impact on our standard of living, and it would be difficult to manage if I stopped work completely, but we would have to tighten our belts and manage. My best friend gave up work altogether to care for her mother, and I know others who have done the same. It's something that many people do for their loved ones without question. As far as I'm concerned, my parents brought me up, loved me, fed me, educated, and clothed me for 18 years and were always there for me for me as an adult until their health got the better of them, so making a few sacrifices is the least I could have done for them.

Wow!

Yes it is common for people to have to sign onto benefits to care for someone full time. Yes, dementia is an illness/disability that counts.

As a carer he would get some extra money on top of his normal UC allowance and will not be expected to work.

Does your dad have other dependents at home?

Would you judge him less if he stuffed her in a cheap care home or left her to home carers?

This. (ETA I meant to quote a previous poster but forgot to add the quote. Thanks insomnia brain! Tbh all the previous replies are relevant so I don't need to quote anyone specific).

Also you've answered your own question OP. You ask why your father has had to claim benefits to do the tough job of caring for your grandmother with dementia. You then answer your question - as you say, because of his caring commitments he's had to cut his work hours.

You say he's impoverishing his family (assuming you're an adult so maybe you have younger siblings). But it's not as if anyone chooses for a loved one to need care.

You may think "oh granny should just go in a home". Sadly eventually she might need to depending how things go. Sometimes with dementia it gets to a stage where the care needed is beyond the ability of a family member. However where possible many people with dementia prefer to stay at home in a familiar setting - and that can be very beneficial for them.

Or are you suggesting the benefits system shouldn't pay for the valuable job of taking care of something priceless - a loved family member (a human being)? Carers allowance/benefit is very low and lots of carers are, like your father, impoverished. However if you're thinking of "the taxpayer" (which includes your father and grandmother) it's much cheaper than state provided carers.

Yes actually this isn't uncommon. It's not as easy to get care for the elderly & disabled as you might think.

Yes. It can be a full-time job in itself - battling adult social care and other services to do what they're meant to do.

Yes, it's very common.

By 'impoverish the rest of the family' do you mean stop paying maintenance?

That's the only relevance I can think of

It costs the government a lot less to pay a relative than a professional.

A lot of people are exceptionally distrustful of care homes or even carers who come into their home. There have been a lot of awful stories in the press about neglect and abuse and I can easily see how a loved one would rather live in borderline poverty than to risk their relative becoming one of the unfortunate few who end up with a negligent care assistant who could cause them a lot of mental distress, or physical harm that might lead to premature death.

Home care professionals also don’t get paid a lot and have to whizz between many jobs and I am sure they are all prone to making human error.

So, a lot of it is a trust thing.

@lindaandrews Who is he impoverishing?

What business is it of yours? He's caring for his mother, she needs care. Clearly you're an adult so your father's finances aren't any of your concern. If he was just getting by on his low paying job he might have been entitled to UC previously and didn't claim it.

Is this real…. 😕Who is he impoverishing?

Caring is a full time job, especially if it’s dementia. I commend him, I’ve done it and luckily had DM and social services/care package in place. It’s incredibly hard.