Changes to Pension Credit.

[HelenaDove]

From 15 May Pension Credit couple rate will only be paid if both are over 65

twitter.com/JosephineCumbo/status/1084920673296961536

www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-01-14/HCWS1249/

And additionally most people don’t expect to carry out those duties for their partner when they are only 65 years old. That’s potentially 30 years of carrying out those tasks versus a couple of years of nappy changing and feeding a baby during the night. If you have ever changes the continence pad of a grown adult you will know that it is by no means remotely comparable to changing the nappy of a baby. For one : the strain on your back takes its toll after a while when you have to lift a 12 stone person.
Even getting them into a wheelchair is very different than putting a baby in a pushchair.

I had 5 babies and my children were about 7 before they stopped wetting the bed so that is a bit more than 2 years of difficult stuff and my father was also doubly incontinent although he didn't live here (although I would have been perfectly happy to have him there)

I think it is all in the marriage vows - in sickness and in health. No one ever added - but if they are ill the state will do the care.

I agree Xenia a lot of those tasks are what you do in a relationship. I’m not sure about the intimate care but then I live on my own with kids so can’t imagine having to do that for an adult but it must be horrendous. But whether the state should pay I don’t know.

Some people think the state should pay for everything. It’s nice when they do, but it shouldn’t be expected.

I am appalled that it possible for people under pension age, whether part of a couple or not, to get pension credit. When did that happen?
Surely ONLY those of pension age should get it.
And Carers' Allowance is a farce.
My friend, who goes to the gym every day, gets CA. He is supposed to give it to his son who supposedly looks after him. His son works full time and does not live with my friend.

Someone from Age Concern came to my friend's house and told him he would be eligible because he had a new knee and is over 80. They filled out the form for him. He could not believe he got it.
He certainly does not need it either financially or from a caring point of view.

People EXPECT the government, ie the tax payers to pay for everything. Why?

This thread depressingly demonstrates how little value some people place on the millions of informal carers, who SAVE the state £132 BILLION a year. That puts the measly 60-odd quid a week people get into perspective.

My friend, who goes to the gym every day, gets CA. He is supposed to give it to his son who supposedly looks after him. His son works full time and does not live with my friend.

You do not understand how carer's allowance works. Also, you do not have to live with the person you care for to be classed as their carer. Also, disabled people can go to the gym you know. And the pub. And go shopping.

Someone from Age Concern came to my friend's house and told him he would be eligible because he had a new knee and is over 80. They filled out the form for him. He could not believe he got it.

Got what exactly? Your post makes no sense. If you are talking about Carer's Allowance, the criteria are quite strict. You don't just "get it" because you are over 80 and have a new knee.

Wow So there are people on this thread who think Paralympians should be stripped of their benefits now. The cuts to Pension Credit seem to have brought out the disabilists.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/almost-half-of-disabled-people-fear-being-stripped-of-benefits-for-being-too-active_uk_5bb74be9e4b028e1fe3cd0af

Honestly @HelenaDove, these threads always seem to end up in the same way. It's so depressing. People have no fucking idea. Caring for a disabled partner isn't just a matter of putting the fucking bins out and a bit of extra housework.

there was a thread about bed blocking on here a while ago Its where i copied and pasted my post from upthread about our life before PC That post was originally in response to someone in the NHS who was moaning about family members who just leave a frail relative alone But what choice would the woman @totallyclulessoverhere ( who by the way is very very far from clueless) is posting about have. Get moaned at by the hard of thinking for not working or get moaned at by health professionals for not being available 24/7 You cant have it both ways.

With carers ppl want it both ways.

Becoming a parent was a choice the last time i checked.

YY @bubblewire and if the same thing happened to them they would be on here asking for advice after a swift name change of course.

@totallyclulessoverhere does your friend drive to work because she will be bloody knackered.

im not judging btw but i know the public transport in some areas is shit.

I doubt anyone on here is disablist. The only way to ensure we have enough money to protect the less well off is to conserve it and spend it wisely. That is the way to look after them.

If that means a fit 50 year old who has been living off her older man's earnings for year and never done a day's work in her life has to get her finger out and take a job until she is 67 like the rest of us hurrah will say most people.

i did previously work as my posting history shows.

But i a lot of employers still think family friendly only means children.

I had one of them call my DH " a bit of a malingerer" but never questioned the illnesses of my colleugues children. Im not saying she should have but where is the equality.

I wouldn't want to be called a career for caring for my child or DH. I'd be a wife or mum doing what is needed. Caring for a non relative, then yes I'd be a carer.

I do think many expect everything to be paid for and presumably that's why change was needed. A sense of entitlement grew very fast.

Well dont worry @TheBigBangRocks Its the last thing id call you.

*I wouldn't want to be called a career for caring for my child or DH. I'd be a wife or mum doing what is needed. Caring for a non relative, then yes I'd be a carer.

I do think many expect everything to be paid for and presumably that's why change was needed. A sense of entitlement grew very fast.*

@TheBigBangRocks if your DH/child was disabled and you could not work because you needed to care for them and you had no other form of income, your choices woud be:

a) claim the benefits that are there to help the diabled and their carers
b) go out to work and leave your DH/child at home to sit in their pwn piss/shit/be hungry/lie on the floor for hours if they have a fall etc etc
c)have social services care (often very poorly due to funding crisis) for your dh/child while you worked - at possibly enormous expense to the state or put child/DH in a care home, again at enormous expense to the state.
d) you all starve and become homeless.

I really really hope you are never in this situation.

Apols for all the typos, writing hastily in sorrow and anger at total lack of humanity shown by some on this thread.

Bubblewire,
My friend is healthy and in no way disabled. He is over 80 and his son undertakes no care. I know this because he is a very close family friend and he told me he was astonished when the Age Concern woman came to see him and even more surprised to get the allowance.

From Twitter

Paul Treloar
‏ @PaulieTandoori

Meeting with DWP officials to talk about mixed age couples and pension credit
3:21 PM - 22 Jan 2019

    New conversation
    Paul Treloar
    ‏ <strong>*</strong><strong>*@PaulieTandoori</strong><strong>*</strong>*
    Jan 22

Can't reveal all details b but fair to say that as things currently stand, there's much to be worried about for mixed age couples, both directly affected and others later on.
1 reply 1 retweet 3 likes
Paul Treloar
‏ @PaulieTandoori
Jan 22

No linking rules AT ALL so break in both PC and HB claims will see people forced to claim UC. For example, someone going abroad for 5 weeks will be unable to reclaim PC/HB on return to UK.
2 replies 3 retweets 3 likes
Paul Treloar
‏ @PaulieTandoori
Jan 22

Little appetite for increased personal allowance in UC for mixed age couples, goes against "work first" approach of UC and computer can't cope either.
2 replies 3 retweets 2 likes
Paul Treloar
‏ @PaulieTandoori
Jan 22

Communications for people potentially affected should be going out soon, so hopefully we can do a real push for taking up entitlements while they can. Also backdating rules mean people should be able to claim PC/HB up to mid August in theory at least.

Alan Barton
‏ @albar11111
Jan 23
Replying to @PaulieTandoori

This is a pathetic response from @DWP officials. Work first does not apply to pensioners & if the computer can’t do it, then postpone rollout until it can. Time for @AmberRuddHR to get a grip if she cares about older people!
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
Paul Treloar
‏ @PaulieTandoori
Jan 23

Yes, we were disappointed but I think we're going to try and push for changes here, let you know how things progress in due course Alan.

I think this change is firstly, really mean. And secondly really ageist.
Thirdly snuck in behind some zither news.

@totallyclulessoverhere does your friend drive to work because she will be bloody knackered.

helena yes she does drive to work. She starts at 7.30am and it would take her an hour to use public transport to get to work. She already has to get up at 5am to give her husband a shower, make his breakfast etc before she leaves for work so the car is the realistic option. Plus she needs the car in case she gets a call to say her husband has fallen and she needs to rush home. He has one of them falls alarms but of course if he falls and can’t get up the response people phone the next of kin (her) to alert them that the person is on the floor, they don’t actually come out to get him up.

The person talking about an 80 year old who goes to the gym and gets carers allowance must be confused. Carers allowance can only be paid directly to the carer (the person doing the caring). It cannot be paid to the disabled person to give to somebody else. If this person is getting a benefit it must be attendance allowance given his age but there are no stipulations that you need to be in receipt of care to get that and there is no rule that you have to give it to somebody else. The only other thing it could possibly be is direct payments which are paid by the local authority and those should be used to provide the care you need but it is highly unlikely that an 80 year old would be given ones to manage himself and the roles about providing receipts and proof of how the money was spent are really strict. A gym membership might be able to be paid for out of direct payments if it is deemed thatcthe gym would help in the persons recovery and maintenance of his health and well-being.
HTH.