Is It worth applying for attendance allowance?

[Icequeen01]

My DM had a fall in August and broke her hip. We think she fell due to her arthritic knee giving way. She was advised last year that she needs a knee replacement but the wait would be a couple of years so she decided she didn't want to go ahead with it! She's recovered amazingly well from her fall but now has to walk with a frame. She doesn't go out at all unless I take her so I take her shopping each week and to medical appointments. I managed to get her a Disabled Badge last year. She had a mobility scooter before her fall but can only use it when I am with her and has just used most of her savings to have a chairlift fitted in her house as she can't get up the stairs to her bathroom and bedroom otherwise is.

She also now has some memory and cognitive issues. No diagnosis as she gets upset if I even mention going to see her GP. I look after all her finances, make appointments, phone calls and do all her admin. I have to make up all her weekly tablet boxes and check that she's taken them each day. I now cook for her at least 4 times a week as since her fall I've noticed she doesn't cook properly for herself, just heats up soup, pies, quiches etc.

My DH thinks I should apply but I'm not convinced she would even qualify and the form is very off putting.

I know a lot of people on this board have experience so would be grateful for your advice as to whether you think it would be worth applying or I would be wasting my time.

@Icequeen01 i was in the same situation. Dm me if you'd like to chat. Dad got higher rate plus some other fab stuff to help him.

@MrsMorton My apologies, I've only just returned to this post so I hadn't seen your reply. Thank you so much for your very kind offer but I came back to the thread to say I finally sent off my completed form today! I've never been so pleased to see the back of a form in all my life!

I am happy now that I have given a true picture of my mum's needs and if she doesn't get awarded the allowance I know I did my best.

I will up-date this post once I have heard anything 🤞🤞

Well done op. I posted earlier in the thread about applying for my DM after she broke her hip in September. We sent the form off late last year and it took about 3 months to get the decision but it was a straight yes. They backdated it to the date of application.

Wow 3 months! I had no idea it could take so long.

I am pretty sure the form itself puts off so many people. If the person is in a home and the care staff are able to help complete the form that must be a godsend but I have found writing it on my own on behalf of my mother really difficult and I'm no stranger to completing tricky forms!

Do you mind me asking @SpottyStripyDuvet did your mum have someone come out and assess her?

@Icequeen01 I’ve never known anyone come out to assess. Assuming systems haven’t changed much - It is basically a points system based in keywords you use on the form.
for example uses SPECTACLES + 1 point, uses a WALKING/ZIMMER frame +2 points etc etc until a threshold has been passed. If she’s needs overnight care it’s practically a slam dunk for the higher rate attendance allowance. They may randomly check with GPs.
(used to work in care and have been through the process more times than I’ve had hot dinners!)
3 months is a reasonable turn around given the volume of paperwork they must receive daily, bearing in mind they will
deal with all sorts of queries and claims.

I am just about to phone this week and ask for the form to claim attendance allowance for my elderly father in law. Is it just a matter of phoning and giving his address and they post the form out, or do they ask you any other questions. I don't want to wait ages for the call to be answered (as is often the case with the DWI) and then not be prepared. For EXAMPLE, will they ask me his national insurance number, bank account details etc I don't actually know these details and would have to gather all the information first from him. Thanks.

Sorry that should read DWP not DWI

She may be entitled to pension credit as well. She can still qualify if she has Attendance allowance

That's reassuring @Alphabet1spaghetti2 as my DM would struggle having someone at her house asking questions.

That's interesting about the points system. I have mentioned her chairlift, mobility scooter, walking frame and shopping walker, emergency pendant, toilet frame and her blue badge! I've also told them how she currently steps into her bath to shower and how unsafe that is! (We are about to remove the bath and have a walk-in shower fitted and a comfort height toilet). I also talked about her poor memory and the fact I look after all her finances, medical appointments and have to make up all her tablets. I've also talked about her coming to us for dinner around 5 times a week as she can no longer cope with cooking a full meal but also because she feels so isolated now she can't go out on her own and how much emotional support she needs. I'm hoping this is all enough.

I just downloaded a printable version of the form. If you just search for Attendance Allowance form in Google it should come up.

@Icequeen01 Unfortunately, I don't have a printer so will have to phone them and ask for one to be posted out to him. Thanks anyway.

@Icequeen01 sounds like more than enough. This is why the advice is to fill in the form as if it was the worst day ever for them. So you DO NOT miss any small thing which enables them to basically live.. like spectacles, walking frames, adapted cutlery, alterations to the home like remote control switches and curtains, using taxis etc as well as human help/assistance when shopping/dressing/companionship. You list everything.
For anyone just starting it - The form is long but not complicated as it boils down to them asking you half a dozen question in ten different ways, so it’s boringly repetitive but not difficult. It appears difficult to basically put you off claiming, whilst being actually quite easy so they can say the form isn’t difficult!

AGE UK are brilliant, I am quite confident about filling in forms but they helped me to think through what help she needed so things were included that I wouldn't have thought of. It is well worth a visit to them.

Thanks @Alphabet1spaghetti2 that's reassuring to hear. I haven't been able to ask anyone's opinion as no one I know has any experience of completing one.

No all they need is his name and address.

@didldidi thank you, that's exactly what I needed to know.

@Icequeen01 A lot of people are out of because it seems difficult to complete - it isn’t, and age uk are happy to help anyone if necessary. The benefit isn’t widely publicised unlike say universal credit and child tax credit, and is estimated to be vastly under claimed. By that I mean that a lot people either never claim, claim much later than they would have been eligible, fail to upgrade to higher attendance allowance when needs increase. There is also a proportion of people who are too stubborn?/proud? to claim thinking it’s ‘charity’ or associate it with for ‘being old/frail people’ - which of course they aren’t.
no one loses by claiming even if they are refused (never heard of anyone being denied except where the form wasn’t completed correctly or fully) - and for a half hours worth of form filling could get a much needed income
boost, and it’s a gateway benefit for other things, so a ‘yes’ response is worth the tiny amount of hassle. It’s not means tested or taxed as yet. Maybe some confuse it with PIP which is assessment based.

Well done @Icequeen01. They came out to assess dad, he was crawling in his hands and knees to unlock the door when she arrived so she saw it at its worst. She was more worried about LPA than the allowance which was awarded at higher rate immediately.

@MrsMorton Oh dear, an assessor came out? My DM would struggle with that only in the fact she hates feeling she is being "checking up on". When she came out of hospital she had carers come in for the first few weeks which she was fine but then someone came in to reassess her needs and my DM got really upset and I had to phone and ask them not to come again 🙄

Did you put your contact details on the form? Would it help if you're there? One of dad's carers was there as I work away but it was by no means intrusive.

Yes I have and I work very locally so could always be with her if necessary but she won't like it 😀

No an assessor didn't come out.

good luck OP. It's shit and hugely frustrating (the parent, not the DWP...).

Thank you for your advice.