Panaroma - the rising cost of health

[Decisionsdecisions1]

I’m guessing it’s trying to be balanced but there are some interviewees that they appear to be deliberately showing in an unsympathetic light.

This feels like a bit like it was written by Kemi. Could have been so much more informative.

Is any scrutiny of benefits, even if evidenced, ‘benefit bashing’?

That isn't what prompting means.

It means 'would that person do that without being prompted?'

and the answer being NO. they wouldn't.

It isn't like not being bothered, it isn't about temporarily forgetting then remembering a few days later.. its not doing it at all unless someone actively reminds them and prompts them to do it.

ftr, i have a 19yo who gets pip for autism, adhd, arfid, anxiety & dyspraxia.

he wouldn't get dressed, wash or eat without me actively telling him to do either.. but he also has the added extra of he can't prep his own meals either due to his dyspraxia and arfid.

Right.

Scuse me?

Yes of course. Anything that doesn’t agree with the mumsnet narrative that we should be dishing out millions in benefits is wrong 🙄

Benefits bashing is a GOOD thing. It’s about time that taxpayers started asking more questions about where their money is going.

The current rising cost is unsustainable and where do you think the money will come from?

“Benefits bashing” per se is indiscriminate mindlessness.

What actually surprised me was that given the criteria for a PIP claim maybe the real question is why aren't more people claiming it. And rather than bash those on it maybe the real mugs those that aren't claiming it. I mean I can easily answer yes to at least five of the below :

Preparing and cooking food: Can you prepare a simple meal using a conventional cooker?

Eating and drinking: Do you use aids, or need help from others to eat/drink?
Managing treatments:Do you need help managing medication or monitoring health conditions?
Washing and bathing:Do you need help or aids to wash?
Dressing and undressing: Do you need help or aids to get dressed?
Communicating: Do you have difficulty with hearing or speaking?
Reading: Do you struggle to read and understand information?
Mixing with people: Do you struggle to interact with others?
Making budgeting decisions: Can you manage your own money?

they aren't yes or no questions. the detail you provide on what aids/help you need and how your disability affects you is where the judgement comes in.

@ChillingWithMySnowmies I promise my questions are genuine; I’m just trying to understand what life looks like for your son.

Is it that he doesn’t want to go out and so wouldn’t see the need to get dressed, or would he go out in his PJs or dressed inappropriately, for example?

And with the meal prep, are there simple meals he could learn to master with his dyspraxia (I’m thinking putting nuggets in oven, or ready meals, or pasta etc) or is he not able to do that sort of thing?

I’m absolutely not weighing in on the validity of his PIP entitlement. I guess I’m more wondering about the variety of real life experiences behind the catch all questions and what that actually looks like for different people. No worries if you’d rather not say though.

I don't mind explaining!

He doesn't see the need to go out. The only time he leaves the house is for college, or going to his Dads for the weekend, or medical appointments.. or if we're all going out and there is no-one else home to supervise him.

The best way i can describe the dressing thing is its like trying to get a 4yo ready to leave the house. you can't just go 'get ready' and expect them to show up washed and appropriately dressed 10 minutes later. He has to be guided and chivvied through every step, and watched to make sure he's putting the right clothes on for the weather/where we're going.

And no.. the food thing is a complete block because of eating disorder (arfid)
His dyspraxia does add into it as it causes issues with handling things, like cutlery, trays, pans..etc, We also now strongly suspect he is hypermobile as he's starting to suffer with pain in his joints, but his anxiety around 'not-safe' food is intense, and means he can't touch ingredients, only the finished item presented in a very specific way.

The criteria must be needed more than half of the time when a person might be expected to do the activity- so someone who dresses most days but due to severe depression would not do it one day a week will not qualify under that descriptor.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/how-decisions-are-made/

Yes, that particular person had no problem putting on perfect makeup and eyeliner though. The lady with ms and the the ex army chap deserve support if they opt to claim it. The young lad doing a chef apprenticeship, sorry but everybodies grandmother gets ill and dies and yes he'd lost his friend in tragic circumstances but that doesn't entitle him to several hundred pounds a month in support especially as he's now on a paid apprenticeship. The 26 year old woman, nothing wrong with her, given a couple of subjective labels and clearly acting up to an imaginary problem. Unbelievable, she either works or gets jobseekers.
I recently did some work enrolling students and every other parent pressed on me about how their teenager was awaiting an assessment for either ADHD or Autism. It was so astoundingly common I knew there must have been a financial benefit to aiming for and getting the label.

Surely its poor parenting that has raised children who don't see the need to shower or change bed sheets etc.

I watched it and even though I knew what to expect, I was shocked. It's as if people finding things a bit more difficult than others gives them a free pass to leech off tax payers. Most of the people on that program could do something. Might not be ideal but you can't just do nothing and expect some other poor bugger to pay for you to do nothing. It was outrageous. Far worse than I anticipated. Well enough to put make up on, go to the shops for some pizza, but can't work....rightio.

There was one person on there leeching £1400 a month in handouts. That's more than full time on NMW!

Seriously though, surely if he was left to it he would eventually seek and eat food. The survival instinct is strong in humans. It may be uncomfortable for a few days.

I was on that back in 2017, being an accounts manager for a local firm and it was pretty stressful. The young girl in that programme, was running her own social media site, so she could use technology and interact with others on a regular basis, why couldn't she get a job in customer services?
I felt really sorry for the woman with MS, because she was obviously in severe pain all the time, also the ex military veteran.
As for the young man who had lost his grandmother and a close friend, I reckon everyone has been through that at some point in their life. Somebody needs to give him a good shaking.

Oh shut up. You have no idea how ARFID works.

The girl running the social media site would probably say she couldn't get a normal customer service job because she'd find it to hard to get organised for the job wouldn't she

I guess the guy whose grandma died, would say it's the way it affected him
Did he say he got agoraphobia from it or something

Yes I thought the same ! Needs prompting to wash herself but fully made up without any problem !. Couldn't prepare a sandwich herself but could go to Greggs to buy Pizza slices. Dh and I looked at each other like WTF. The system is a bit of a joke tbh and I'm glad they are looking at making changes.
Absolutely shocking that the 19 year old with alleged ADHD was getting top rates and the poor woman with MS who could barely walk and was trying to work was getting lower rates.
The system actually disgusts me. I can't believe it has been allowed to get so out of control.

I think my child might have ADHD possibly autism as well. It hadn't even occurred to me about using it to get benefits though. I wouldn't do it.