Attendance Allowance form Q61....help needed.

[Tolkienista]

I'm currently filling in an attendance allowance form for my 95 year old mother and so far it's been ok.

I've got to the end ....Q53 to Q61 Statement from someone who knows you.

Although it says, this statement does not have to be filled in, I want to fill it in as my mother's next of kin and eldest daughter as I know her really well and I've been closely involved in her care for the last six months.

Can anyone give me some guidance on what to include on the blank page and how to word it?
Any advice will be gratefully received.
Thanks

@Tolkienista I filled in AA form for my DF and my DF can still just about sign his name (on a good day). So I just added in the notes that ‘my daughter has completed the form with me’. But DF didn’t sign that someone has completed it for him, just at the end. Is that an option for your mother?

I did add lots of details of DFs day to day needs and stated he had these needs for six months. I also gave my details in the notes as a contact point. To help them I enclosed a NHS letter and a discharge note which listed medication and gave some details. Do you have much from your mother’s GP or Hospital you could attach/enclose?

In practice I collect and open all DFs post although our situation is ‘in between’ in lots of ways. Both the Lasting Power of Attorney forms are signed but not registered yet so I couldn’t say we have POA. No diagnosis/formal mental capacity assessment but DF is unable to manage forms like this himself.

@FiniteSagacity thank you so much for your detailed reply that is really helpful and in all honesty sounds very much like my mum.

Yes I've got a discharge letter from hospital with all the conditions she has mentioned in the summary. Her medication too is all covered. I've also got a summary of an assessment from an occupational therapist who came out to see her at home on her mobility which I'm adding to the application.

Like you, the communication side is 100% down to me and I've highlighted that elsewhere in the form and i will on that section at the end. Letters, phonecalls, visits from health and social services ......I have to be there for them all, she wouldn't be able to follow what they're saying.

Anyway I'm reassured that I'm on the right path & I'm aiming to get it in the post by Monday.

I've also read elsewhere that shopping, housework and gardening can't be given as reasons for applying for this allowance.

I must admit I haven't put those in, but I would have thought keeping her house tidy and clean would count.

@Tolkienista it sounds like you’ll make it easy for them to see your mother qualifies, she is very lucky to have you.
It took a few weeks to hear back but when we got the letter it was all accepted and backdated. Best of luck it goes smoothly for you and your mother.

Also, does anyone who regularly deals with these forms know what the success rate in applying for this allowance is?

I've been honest throughout, nothing embellished & that's why I've found it relatively easy to fill in, because the last eight months has seen a rapid decline in her mobility & ability to look after herself. This time last year she was out and about every single day of the week on her own.

Filling those forms in is a big part of my job. We don’t bother with q61. It’s not necessary. It all comes down to what the GP says.

@TwilightSkies that's very interesting.
Her doctor has been involved in her care and knows first hand how her health and mobility has declined.

We focused on DFs mobility needs, continence needs, that he needed someone to help him both day to day and going out anywhere - both for things like appointments and for leisure. It really sounds like your mother should be eligible.

The notes for AA made us realise just how much we were doing to help DF. It was a slow creep of helping around the edges that suddenly snowballed in the last 6-9 months.

@FiniteSagacity that's it again. You suddenly realise how much you've been doing when you say I'll just pop down for an hour. So much to do and again it's
"the slow creep of helping around the edges, that suddenly snowballs"

I did my DM's and didn't bother filling in that question. Her GP barely sees her but she does have a very old letter with her diagnoses on it.

Having done a few AA and PIP forms successfully my key advice is the answer the question asked, as fully and completely as possible. And think about whether the person needs assistance, whether or not that assistance actually exists.

A lot of people get distracted talking about the diagnosis and how upsetting it is for them. But the form doesn't really care that much about diagnosis and mental health points are difficult to score. It does care about information about how you complete tasks such as washing or eating.

If it isn't on the form, it doesn't score points.

@AnnaMagnani very good points.
I've definitely stuck to the brief on each question & answered precisely & honestly.
It certainly focuses the mind filling in a booklet like this.
Things have changed so.much in the last 6 months.