or naive, to be so shocked about carers payments?

[boschy]

My DM, aged 83 gets lower level attendance allowance. Her mobility has significantly declined recently so I spoke to Age UK about the chance of increasing it.

To get higher level, a princely £80 per week, you have to have someone in the house all night, and ideally apparently sitting up with the person, rather than sleeping in the next room as I have been doing.

To get carers allowance, another magnificent sum of £59.75 per week, you have to provide care for 35 hours per week - oh, and if you earn more than £100 a week you're not entitled to it anyway. And its taxable.

I always knew carers got a raw deal, but this just absolutely takes the piss. I love my mum, and I am doing 35 hours caring a week at the moment, the fact that I wont get the allowance wont stop me of course.

I am just so so shocked at the low level of the money. How on earth does anyone manage to survive?

I hope that as she gets better her mobility will improve and I will be less involved - but carers of the world, I salute you.

Erm, much as a good rant about Cameron is never amiss - carers allowance has been this low for at least a decade.
The last time I bothered with carers allowance it was about £35.

no brand of politician gives a shit.
No votes in giving money to women without paid employment.

Pag I know its been like this for years now but youd think hed be a bit more understanding? and do something about it?

Brown had a disabled child too and didn't do anything AFAIK either.

I think I am just beyond cynical now.
I am not sure which is worse - a posh bloke with a disabled child doing nothing or a left Wong government who did fuck all about it for over a decade.

Actually thinking about it Blair was worse. He did his best to shut special schools. twat.

at left Wong government.

[twat]

I really wish they'd put up the carer's allowance.The government is always talking about the problem of the ageing population and dementia care. Loads of people would look after their relatives if it was financially possible, and if employers would look favourably on people who had had time out of careers for caring.

Life should be about caring for others, carers should be respected and admired, not treated as second class almost invisible citizens. The government only values people who make shedloads of money.

Surely it must be a vote winner? Or am I missing something???

Show you have some heart, help the most vulnerable people in society, the hard workers, the ones who strive to keep the family together, the ones who save local authorities and the NHS so much money, the ones who when a crisis happens step up and give up their careers, their financial security, their health and just get on with it year after relentless year.
I just can't get my head around why Carers are treated like shit? Why?

Carers needs are a big political issue at the moment. .. new care bill coming out. You don't have to actually have care at night for higher rate aa, but you do have to need it (!).Get advice from a benefits advice centre and you are mut more likely to be successful, esp with appeals
Govt is being less hard on pensioners than other groups, prob cos bad publicity. Claim for the higher rate, asap

This type of thing will never change until society and politicians stop putting value on things like house prices, economic growth and wealth generation (for a tiny % of the population) and start to focus on things like fairness and quality of life for everyone.

The reason carers get screwed is because the government know they can get away with it. Most carers care for relatives and therefore short of a breakdown will not just walk out the door and leave the state to pick up the pieces. If they could and did walk out then the whole system would collapse.

But the reality is carers are over a barrel and the government knows it. Therefore they make a huge fuss about what they are doing to help disabled people and carers while in reality doing virtually fuck all.

On top of that much of the country is either completely ignorant or just doesn't care about people 'on benefits'.... If the average person on the street actually realised how many disabled people and their family members are forced to live there would be total outrage I'm sure.

But instead of highlighting this outrageous injustice with responsible reporting the media gives us 'white dee' from 'benefits street'........

The Princess Royal is patron of Carers Uk which is an amazingly useful charity providing local support as well as lobbying and campaigning for better rights for carers. The link is www.carers.org I think

I earn a few pounds a week too much because I work 10 hours a week while DD is at school. So I do as much caring as others are doing but for not even the £60. It sucks.

Even Carers have a tipping point.

Carers allowance in itself is pretty pointless anyways as it's deducted from any benefits or tax credits......mine is deducted from our tax credits as it's classed as earnings. I only claim as it pays my stamp.

The only people who will benefit financially are those who live in households that don't receive any extra help as the income is too high, think with adults it's taken off any ESA the disabled person receives but not 100% sure.

It isn't deducted from ESA cheese toastie

I wish I could think of something clever and incisive to suggest.... but right now I'm going back to mum's, having soothed DD1 through an AS level exam trauma, chatted to a friend about her nan's death, put a load of washing on, sorted the dishwasher, chased up the GP for nth time today about mum's meds (about which I am confused and still have no answer - where does it say on my job description that I am a medical expert?), said it was ok for DD2 to stay at a friend's house tonight, fed the dogs, collected the eggs, spent 45 mins on phone to try and sort out why mum's phone is not working, spoken to my brother to update him on her situation.

I'll be back at mum's for at least 2 hours; no idea which house I am sleeping in tonight. I'm going to check out carers uk and see what I can do to help - some of my skills might be useful.

I don't qualify as I am a student. It is very short sighted of them to specifically exclude students, as generally people study to make a career for themselves, and so won't be eligible to claim when working anyway. We are fine with the DLA and tax credits, so I am not cross with my own situation as such, I just think the policy is dreadful. It feels like they are saying I don't care for her, when the reality is I either pick her up from school, or at the most she is with my mum for I also take her to school.

I'm not sure how it works tbh itsme.......but I know a friend of mine won't claim it for the care she provides to her son as it will be deducted from his money or somesuch. My two are still teens so haven't crossed the bridge where I will know doubt have to consider where to place my ds (( at a cost of 100k + each year to the state for the level of care he needs )) because I won't be able to afford to keep him at home forever along with his dsis when they leave school and the financial help we get now (( WTC + ctc )) stops.

My dh is my carer. I'm ok through the day but need care for washing/dressing and through the night especially for turning. I have a severe neurological illness that will be the death of me in the end. It's at least 35 hours a week.

We don't need him to be able to claim carers allowance - it's much better that he goes on doing his day job, especially as my caring needs tend to be night/early morning/bedtime.

It wouldn't be great for the government for him to stop work - he's a GP. Him caring for me gets me out to my job - I work for a charity teaching young mums who left school with no qualifications.

Caring isn't just sitting at home. I need (we reckon) about 50 hours a week of caring responsibility. We don't get paid because of our earnings. That's fine for us, we can afford it (though when my dh has worked a 75h week that's hard on him having to turn me, shower and dress me). I really feel for the people who don't have our economic flexibility.

CA is deducted from the ESA of the person being cared for I am a carer for my husband and the CA I receive is taken from his ESA if I was my mother or friends carer the same would apply the disabled person loses their disabled premium from ESA

cheesetoastie I have the same dilemma , Child tax credit will stop soon, my outgoings will exceed my income and a placement for my son will cost an eye watering amount. I am job hunting.

Maybe I can get a job as a HCA at the local hospital, then I can visit my son during my breaks when he is in hospital. I can be a full time paid hardworking professional employed care assistant looking after others whilst my son is being cared for in a nursing home at huge cost to the public purse. I am actually considering this.

Crumpet, has this changed recently? My mum was my carer for awhile and I don't think this ever happened.

Carers allowance makes me so mad.
It's less than people get for JSA.
Carers have to pay for prescriptions and dental care unlike those on JSA.
Carers work many hours each week, often up to 100+.
The govt said it is illegal to pay below the minimum wage, so if they insist that carers have to do a minimum of 35 hours a week to claim the allowance then why does it not meet minimum wage?

Carers save this country billions of pounds every year and yet they are treated so badly both in financial terms and respite terms.

Not sure if it's recent but don't think so as been claiming CA since July last year for him but DH definitely loses his disabled premium because I claim CA for him it could be because he got the severe disability premium and that's what he loses as he is in the Support Group for ESA www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/what-youll-get it states it here under Effects on the benefits of the person you care for

One of the things that really annoys me is that the carer's allowance stops when you start receiving your state pittance pension. Surely if you are still trying to care for your 'child' when he is a grown adult and you are a pensioner, possibly developing your own health issues, you need more help, not less. Even if you are lucky enough to remain hale and hearty you are not going to be as strong as in your youth or have the same support network around you. I'm lucky now as my mum helps a lot with ds but that will not always be the case, I might even end up caring for her too!

PIXEL

Have you seen my previous posting about my carer's allowance stopping because I get my state pension. I have never had a support network to help with my disabled son for the last 24 years. You are right about about developing health issues, I have got arthritis in my neck which gives me dizzy spells and knees so I have mobility problems, curvature of the spine which gives me back pain. The only help I get are from my DH and DD who both have arthritis in their knees and bad backs. I am only 62 but the way I am going I will be in a wheelchair by next year.