Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)

Replies

By CHERYL THE PERIL

Re: Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)
Tue 8 May 2007 09:04

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Carers have heard from various politicians how much they value and appreciate the work and commitment of Carers. Carers are frustrated with battling with an unfair, uncaring system. Carers are fearful of the future. Carers do not feel valued or appreciated. This, and preceding governments, have not made a serious attempt to solve the problems that Carers experience every day.
The main problems being:
1) Poverty : Poverty caused by the appallingly low CA Benefit.
Carers struggle to pay their bills and feed and clothe themselves. This is entirely caused by the restrictions of the responsibility of being a Carer. I.e.: The level of Care they provide result in many being unable to work even part time.
2) Housing : Many Carers lose their homes because they are unable to meet the mortgage repayments when they give up work to become a Carer.
3) Respite Care : Carers work with out a break for months sometimes years on end because they cannot afford to pay for Respite Care, or it is just not available.
4) Over Lapping Benefit Rule : This rule ensures that Carers live on an inadequate income.
5) Health Care Costs : In spite of their appallingly low income Carers pay for Prescriptions, Dental Care and Eye Tests.
6) Pension : Carers Allowance is stopped at pension age. This causes immense hardship to pensioners, because as Carers they incur extra expenses.

The enormous contribution that Carers make to society should be recognised with appropriate and realistic financial support. They need support in the form of disability aids and training.
Carers need emotional and physiological support in the form of Reliable Respite Care. So that like every other person on the planet they can come back to their work rested and refreshed. ( Even God rested on the seventh day!).

As more people become aware of the hardships that at automatically go with becoming a Carer; many may choose not to become a Carer. Consequently the full cost of that Social Care will fall upon society and the government. In the long term it would make more economic sense to adequately support Carers than it will to provide care for their Carees.
There are two options. A) Pay Carers an amount that reflects their work load and commitment in keeping with the cost of living, so that they can support themselves financially. Plus Free Respite Care of 4-6 weeks per year. It is the only realistic way they can have a break. I don’t know of any other category of people who have to pay someone else to do their job while they have a break or take a holiday. To add insult to injury they have to pay more than they themselves receive for the same work.

Or B) Put together a far more extensive and realistic range of financial benefits and support.
1) A Substantial Increase in Carers Allowance
2) Make Carers Allowance a Non-Means Tested Benefit
3) Free Respite Care, prescriptions, dental and eye care, Free Adult Education.
4) Carers Allowance to continue after reaching Pension age.
5) Disregard all Carers Savings
6) A Non Means Tested Extra Payment (To cover Mortgage Repayments, heating, travel and transport costs).

To appropriately provide for Carers a separate Community Care Tax should be implemented exclusively for the provision of Carers. Our Government could also follow the Spanish example of running a Lottery, the proceeds to be used for Carers.

The public may not like the prospect of another Tax; but one thing that is guaranteed is that faced with the prospect of becoming a Carer they will be even less thrilled that there isn’t any particular fund of money set aside for them.
Because of illness, the consequences of an accident or just infirmity and frailty of old age. Becoming a Carer can happen to anyone. It is a fact of life and it should be properly provided for.
A separate Tax and Lottery Fund would ease the burden on other services and finances that are at present paid for out of the UK’s general budget.

This government says it wants to banish poverty; so why is this government by it’s inaction abandoning hundreds of thousands of it’s own citizens to live and work with out the benefit of basic human rights?

Yours faithfully

Every society is judged by how it treats it’s least fortunate amongst them

By Pysie

Re: Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)
Wed 9 May 2007 14:22

Hi, Cheryl,

Thanks. Just to keep this at the top of the page again ......

What do all you other carers think about this?

Love
Pysie xx

By SocialHeretic

Re: Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)
Wed 9 May 2007 15:15

Progessing nicely ....... once finished , should be THE Mandate ..... and strong consideration given by those purporting to represent carers to adopt said Mandate in full as a minimum when putting our views across to the government.

By incompletely

Re: Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)
Wed 9 May 2007 15:26

another bump, do members read these posts ?

By SocialHeretic

Re: Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)
Wed 9 May 2007 15:43

Bump , bump , bump ...........& bump.

Given the subject matter of this Post , said Mandate deserves the front page of every site set up to assist carers, and made available to all those dealing with us.

Carers speaking for themselves ? Or , do other readers wish to rely on the established status quo of no direct representation at any level.

Democracy in action , me thinks.

By wdpics

Re: Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)
Wed 9 May 2007 16:36

I agree with this letter 100%

I just want to add a few personal things though

I became a carer, when i was still at school. I had to leave school early - due to bullying, but also due to stress, illness, fatigue and the fact i was needed at home.

I therfor have no main education qualifications.

Since then, 7 years ago, i have since deveoped some conditions which include social phobia (rulling out a future college course) depression (because i have no life) asthma (has came back due to illness and stress) stress (has been here as i am doing everything from 1st thing in the morning to last thing at night) plus loads of other things

The last time i had a holiday myself, was ..... never, thats right, because i am needed 24/7 at home

The only time i get on my own, is when my mum has a sleep during the day, and i can get on here for about half hour.

My sleep has became SOOOO poor. The best way to descrivbe it, is how a dog sleeps - 1 ear in the air. We dont even sleep - its more napping!

Getting just £70 per week is absoltly BS imo. If i was a professional trained carer, i woudl be paid £9.20 PH!

What did the goverment say about minimum wage? oh yeh - we dont qualify as we are lower in the chain than cleaners seeminly (no offence to cleaners btw, i just used that as an example to what we really do)

IMO we are professionals. We need to be treated like professionals.

By wdpics

Re: Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)
Wed 9 May 2007 16:41

I would like to know actually if those MP's and MSP's (those whos it on their backside all day) could live off our wage, and do our job for a week!

By CHERYL THE PERIL

Re: Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)
Thu 10 May 2007 08:50

Hi All
just a post to put this back on the main page
love cheryl

By Thelma

Re: Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)
Thu 10 May 2007 16:41

Pen poised, Pysie!
Have we yet decided when we send this off? A number of my family will add endorsements as you suggested, so come and join us all those who are wondering whether to do so or not.
Thelma

By CHERYL THE PERIL

Re: Standardised Carers Letter (Revised Version)
Fri 11 May 2007 09:32

Hi All
Social Heretic. "progressing nicely.....once finished".
Is there something else you'd like added?

I thought that if we use this letter as a basic and if anyone has something particular or personal to them they could added a bit themselves?
Also if there is any part anyone disagrees with they can omit it or cross it out?
Love Cheryl x