Wondering about attendance allowance

[Inthedarkhere]

My father is 96, in pretty good health, lives alone, mum died several years ago. He's been very independent but is becoming much more frail, hardly surprising at that age! He still drives within a five mile radius of his home but feels he'll have to give that up soon. He has a blue badge, I have no idea what he wrote on the application for it. He's started using the stair lift that was installed when my mum was ill. I do his laundry and have offered to clean but he doesn't want me to do that, but says he can't afford to pay a cleaner. He's quickly coming to the stage of needing scheduled visits, maybe someone to help him in the house and possibly someone to help him get up in the morning when he says he feels "wobbly". He won't let me do his shopping, I don't get the right things, apparently..

A neighbour of his was surprised to hear he'd never claimed attendance allowance but we don't know if age and frailty are enough grounds to claim. Has anyone out there got any knowledge or experience of this?

Thanks in advance

Yes. Both my parents get the full amount- it's about £108 each a week.
The threshold is low to be eligible but the form is long. Took about 8 weeks from application to approval- payments went into bank before any letters were received!

He sounds at least eligible or the lower rate and maybe higher. Being 96 alone will probably do it! Plus he has a blue badge and needs help with everyday tasks such as cleaning, washing etc

I have told loads of people to claim in the past 12 months and all have been successful.

I thought the point of AA was to help cover additional costs due to disability, such as a cleaner or homehelp, fuel or extra laundry.

Absolutely. Sounds like he might benefit from a care assessment too.

It is a long form but it's long and repetitive so not too difficult to fill in. If he has a blue badge then he clearly has additional needs. I'd go for it.

@Peoneve @LIZS @WearyLady @olderbutwiser

Thank you so much for replying so quickly!! I'll have a chat with him tonight and if he's agreeable we'll start the ball rolling!

Bless you all x

Ask at his GP surgery about this - they often have an in-house person who will visit the person's home and fill in and send off the form for you. It will save you hassle and they know the right questions to ask.

Also try the citizens advice bureau or a local disability charity for help with the right way to fill in the forms.

Age UK helpline might be able to help too.

Definitely claim. His age alone will mean he'll get something. Probably about 100 a week. They probably won't even do an interview. Fill out the forms and it shouldn't take long to get the award. He could have probably claimed it several years ago, but start now. It's never too late.

Definitely apply. My mum gets the lower amount. She’s not happy going out by herself and needs help making appointments and filling forms etc. she struggles with housework etc

Agree with pp the surgery may have a dedicated person who helps with the forms. We needed a list of medication, the gp surgery provided all the medical info and then I wrote an additional statement re help/support I gave.
My dm received AA - she had COPD and was struggling with tasks such as cleaning the house, shopping, laundry, leaving the house..etc. She was able to dress herself, shower etc and therefore received the lower amount.
We helped with shopping and she was pretty good with online orders but the money was useful for paying for a weekly cleaner.
I think it took about 6/8 weeks for a decision.

When applying for AA, they aren’t interested in whether you need help with cooking, cleaning, gardening, even though AA is often spent on these things. People are surp rised by this, understandably. They want to know how your physical/ mental condition affects you personally night and day, what help you need even though you live alone and don’t receive any actual care. It can be confusing. There are YouTube videos on how to word this that are very helpful, as they go into the minutest detail and show how every little thing should be including however trivial.

If you phone up for the application form rather than doing it online, your claim will be backdated from the date you phoned. Online its paid from the date you submit it.

I did one recently for MIL, it was approved quickly, used an online guide from CAB to complete.

I did one for DM recently. The form is very repetitive and is focussed around personal care; washing, dressing, feeding, taking medications etc. They aren't interested in cleaning, housework etc. DM was awarded the higher rate of £108 pw and it took around 8 weeks to process.

The CAB guide was useful because it tells you what they need to score, not good with lines but it should be easy to find.

Also, it is about help they need, not help they get. And I think it is about doing things safely, repeatedly etc as with PIP (but not sure on this- I referred to safety and risk)

Gosh, so much sensible and practical advice on here! Thank you all so much, I think he'll be very happy to know he can get some help but keep his independence!

Very grateful to you all 🙏🏻

OP are you quite sure your father should be driving? You say he is wobbly at times. I know you love your father but you have to think about if he could do an emergency stop quickly if a child ran into the road.

My mum was refused it at 83 because she doesn't need help with personal care so it doesn't seem to be a clear cut yes just because of age.

Make sure you answer with worst case situations. Eg no good saying he is sometimes able to do his own shopping. If, on occasion he needs someone to do his shopping or take him shopping, that is the norm. If he struggles to shower himself, that means he needs help with showering.

@Flossflower Personally no I don't think he should. His reactions are surprisingly sharp but just because of his age I don't like him driving. He does about three short routes and his pal next door takes him anywhere else if we're not around. Part of the attendance allowance can cover taxis which should encourage him to surrender his licence within weeks instead of months.

Hi all. Just a quick update, my father has had the application for AA approved (full amount!) and backdated to the date in July when I rang and asked for the form. Thanks to everyone who offered encouragement and practical advice. The form is long but quite logical when you take it step by step, so don't let the number of pages put you off. The specific advice on here was very pertinent and there are videos on YouTube that are helpful. My father is delighted, and is talking about getting more paid help around the house and garden, which takes a bit of pressure off us.
Thanks again to all for sharing their knowledge.

That's fab @Inthedarkhere , glad to hear it. It makes so much difference if they can pay for the help they need and maintain their independence.

That is great OP

My Dad was awarded AA receipt as well, he has a social worker in doing a needs assessment and they referred him to welfare rights who did the application, may be helpful for others if they find the form daunting.

Good news - glad he's able to get some paid help. It's made such a difference to my dad'