Can't find a charity to help me fill in the night time attendance part of mums AA application !

[bizzey]

She already gets AA .Has done for 8 years.

We need to move it up to the higher rate.

I have the form .
Just not the words to word it ! 😅.

Shall I just try it myself ?

What tasks is she needing help with over night? Have you made a list yet?

@bizzey

this will give you some pointers.

Sometimes you'll find age uk can be helpful for things like this, (although you may have trialled them already). Dementia groups or parkinsons uk can also be great if your mum fits that.

Does she have difficulty getting up in the night by herself?
Does she have difficulty going to the toilet at night?
Does she have difficulty getting back into bed and settling herself?
Might she need meds in the night?
Is there any wobbliness or worry about her falling at night?

For each of these how many times per night?

Imagine the worst night you have had with her and write down everything you needed to do to keep her safe and comfortable.

Can you write something down and run it through Chat GPT to re-word it for you??

The citizens advice can help

If you do that, first tell ChatGPT that they are an expert in elderly care in the UK, they are an expert in NHS elderly care, and are anexpert in Attendance Allowance, and tell them to look at age charities website in the UK to gather the info. Don't just feed a question into ChatGPT with no context.

Sorry, yes, please make sure you tell it in what context you are writing !!!! I use it that often I forget that maybe not everyone does !!

I have tried Age UK , Scope and other places .
As none of them completed her original form they will not be able to help fill out the upgrade form .

I know how important it is to get the wording right on these forms which is why I wanted someone else to do it !

I can talk ..
But I can't write as eloquently !

This is part of what I do every day as a benefits caseworker. Can you request a copy of the original form from AA to help you explain deterioration? Usually they will have it on file digitally and can send a copy out, I have done this for clients with all types of benefits. Send copies of any up to date medical evidence. Include a family/carer statement of how their difficulties are affecting them and increasing the levels of need, frequency etc. Remember needs such as medication in the night, toilet needs, safety of getting to and from toilet, supervision for safety, any fall risk, etc

Basically think about what's the worst thing that has/is likely to happen in the night if she does various things.

So, physically getting out of bed.- Give reasons why she can't, examples of accidents etc and aids, personal support she needs.

Continence- can she go to the loo at night, if not what products does she need. Can she change her bed if she wets/soils. How often does it happen. How often does she need the loo at night.

Sleeping through/waking up- how does she sleep, what meds does she need, does she wake in distress, have nightmares, try to sleepwalk, fall out of bed?

Those type of things. But don't try and make it seem like she can do things that she basically can't.

You could also go to https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/?dlp=697b845cac798
and download their guide.
I think you may need to be a member to access it but it's worth the £19.95 annual cost, if you can afford it, IMHO. I have been using their guides to fill in DWP forms, deal with appeals and tribunals for over 25 years. They also have a forum you can access if you are a member.

I work for Age Uk and we do these forms for people all the time. I tend to just ask the client about what their main night time issues are- do they struggle getting in and out of bed, do they need supervision to the toilet, are they at risk of falls at night. the just send as much up to date medical evidence- hospital letters, GP summary etc. I think the criteria is around 30 mins of care per night ( I may be wrong on this ). If you can't estimate time spent on each trip to the toilet etc then just write variable. If the person can be awake in pain or unsettled then just explain as best you can.

@Penelope23145 thank you.

1 trip to the toilet could easily take. 30 mins or more .

Plus the 10 mins getting out for bed , 15 mins getting back in It ..

And the wet pajama bottoms .

Thank you all .

You have ll been really hand I am so grateful 🙏

I used to help people claim A A, I found the CPAG Welfare Rights handbook brilliant, you have to buy it or subscribe I think though.
But yeah..write down the worst case scenarios and dont worry about repeating yourself a lot as there's a lot of overlap

My bible! 😊