Carers allowance etc?

[DustyLee123]

My DM has plenty of money in the bank. A ‘friend’ is being very helpful to her, and almost making her reliant upon them. Is there any way they could claim a benefit for looking after her? I can’t see what this person is getting from it.
I have POA, there’s a will in place. I just don’t want to be missing something.

Is mum claiming attendance allowance, it's not means tested. They could put in a carers claim, it's all on the gov.uk site. What poa do you have, does mum currently have capacity. What is the friend doing for her, if she genuinely needs help then she could ask for a free care needs assessment and get care in if she needs it or adaptations made to her house, what's her current living situation, the will is a separate matter.

If the friend is state pension age then if she gets a state pension which is more than £81.90 a week she can't be paid carers allowance but can be awarded an underlying entitlement to carers allowance which could gain her a carers premium if she qualified for Pension credit. However your mum would need to be in receipt of a disability benefit and the friend would need to be caring for your mum for 35 hours a week ( not that CA department check on this very closely ). When someone makes a claim for Carers allowance, the cared for person receives a letter informing them of this as it can affect the cared for person's benefits.

No, the friend is not pensionable age.
No, DM not in receipt of benefits.

I have both POA’s. Yes DM has capacity, but I think unable to say no to this person.
They are making meals when DM can cook, but is more than happy to have a meal made. This person does a bit of cleaning that DM can do, but would rather someone else did. And they take her to places that DM can drive to, but again is happy to be taken and to have company.
I just feel that the more you do for someone, the less they do for themselves, and that’s not good for independence.

Does your mum get attendance allowance?

it’s a while since we went through this but I thought carers allowance only applied if a) you’re earning under £600pcm and b) the person being cared for was in receipt of a benefit showing they needed care such as AA.

i would start keeping an eye on finances though. Can you invoke POA to get statements sent to you or to set up internet banking? We had similar in that the person “caring” made them very reliant, ending up taking control of their banking to “help” them out. They made sure bills were paid and they had food etc, so on the surface things looked normal, but everything else went in her pocket to the tune of 10’s of thousands.

I wouldn't worry too much, do you think mum likes having someone around, keeping her company, it can get very lonely if she lives alone. How old is mum, does she like socialising, would she be interested in joining any local groups, lunch clubs. Maybe her friend is also a bit lonely, have they known each other a long time, how do they know each other. Does mum have friends her own age or family she mixes with. Her friend can't claim for anything if mum isn't on any relevant benefits but if they are both happy is there something that is worrying you? Are her finances safe. Do you know her friend, just wondered why you said "friend"

Agree that you should speak to mum about starting the financial poa, tell her it's much safer, saves her having to worry, you can set up direct debits and standing orders, help her with online shopping but she can still have access to her own money, it might be possible that you can see transactions and statements. It might all be good but sadly there are some awful people out there who take advantage and wheedle themselves in. I would also get mum to keep her will somewhere safe, and any valuables. Gave you met her friend.

It doesn't sound great if it's reducing her independence? Company is one thing but they could easily meet somewhere out for a chat or a coffee, it doesn't have to be someone driving her there or making a meal.

Could your mum be paying her cash for things but too much? Like petrol money or money for the food?

Yes, she gives the person cash for things, but I’ve no idea how much the items are and how much cash she gives.

Have you discussed it with her

And yes, if she goes out for coffee/lunch my DM would insist on paying. Plus DM has a blue badge which she takes with her, and I think this person takes her out so she can park in the disabled spaces.

DM is a difficult person, and tells me not to fuss, she gets anxious if you try to ask her about it.

Your mother is entitled to Attendance Allowance. As a previous Mumsnetter has said, it's not means tested. It would be paid straight into her bank account.

As POA, you should have a POA ATM/Debit card for her. (I had one for my late mum. Also for my late husband.)

You could apply for it for her. The form is quite daunting, but the local Citizens' Advice Bureau would be able to help.

If you think there's a safeguarding issue, invoke the PoA and get added to her bank. It's a PITA process at the bank, but will allow you to keep an eye on her finances and take protective measure if needed.

If mum has a blue badge she must need help so yes she can apply for aa then her friend can apply for ca. Is there something you are concerned about in particular, do you think mum is being taken advantage of and her friend is abusing her trust. If so you need to act in her vest interests as she gave you pia. What do you know about her friend. You can call adult social services if you're worried, she must be in the system somewhere if she's hot a blue badge, what does she have that entitles her to one.

She doesn’t really need a blue badge IMO, she seems to have made out to the person on the phone when she applied, that’s she’s worse than she is. She apparently said she can only walk 50 m when she can walk around the supermarket and to/from the car. I was surprised how easily she got one, I thought there would be some GP input.
Im concerned that this person is making DM reliant upon them so that they can then apply for benefits. I don’t mind DM buying coffees and lunches, although I personally make sure I pay alternate times.

There isn't even a mobility component to AA.

When you apply for the Blue Badge, the advice is to say what you're like on your worst day. Ditto, Attendance Allowance.

They could only apply for carers allowance and mum would need to be receiving benefits. You can call age UK, elder Abuse or social services if you think there is fraud or abuse going on. Do you go out with mum and your friend with coffee if you're paying too, has anyone asked her friend to pay.

Are they taking it in turns to pay for the coffee/lunch?

Or is she handing over £20 a time for "petrol money" for a short trip to the shop or cafe? Thats probably more likely than an attempt to claim benefits. Repeated, not very large cash amounts being handed over which will add up.

And then watch out for unexpected car expense and not enough money to pay for it...

There’s a fine line between describing your worst days, and describing a day so bad that it is completely atypical.

Helper may be plying the long game and have designs on the will.

In our area, we've had the opposite problem. If you say that you can manage X distance (because you can sometimes walk that) the application is declined.

That happened to an elderly chap with two artificial legs. Yes, the form said that he had artificial legs. The council only reconsidered when an outraged relative contacted the local paper.