Discussion Boards Hints and tips
Hello
- By KezT
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Sat 5 Jul 2008 22:12
I'm new here, so thought I'd say hello, and who i am...
My 7 year old son has Aspergers - he was diagnosed 6 months ago, and we are going off on the Early Bird course (the younger version of HELP I think) in September.
But that is after the summer hols, which is a bit worrying.
I thought we'd been doing comparitvely OK with him, but he was suspended from school on Friday
We also have two younger girls (aged 3 & 4), who seem fine so far
My husband was retired from work on ill health grounds last year, as he has severe psoriatic arthritus, as well as psoriasis & diabetes. Sadly his pension is slightly less than 1/5 of his salary, but just enough to ensure we can not claim any benefits
So I'm working as well as caring for him & the kids. I think I've only just realised that i am a carer, even though I obviously have been for several years now
. Joined just to talk stuff through & listen to other people in a similar situation as me.
Replies
- By Silver lining
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Re: Hello
Mon 7 Jul 2008 22:07Hello KezT,
Welcome to this site.
Hope you find help here. It is a bit of a shock when one realises one is a carer....that's everyone else......not me!
Have you tried the Chat room yet? Sadly there does not seem so many people coming in as there used to be ,but I am sure you will get a welcome, and other Carers are the people who really understand what you may be going through. Also lots of suggestions etc can be very helpful.
I'm not in your situation as I am a Carer for a 29 years old Lad who has Severe Learning Difficulties and have been his Carere for over 27 years now. We are going towards Independant Living for him....how long is a piece of string?
All the best
Silver
- By EL
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Re: Hello
Tue 8 Jul 2008 08:47Hiya KezT, welcome chuck, where in the uk are you? look forward to chatting with you
- By KezT
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Re: Hello
Thu 10 Jul 2008 16:56Thanks for the welcome. I'm in North Somerset.
I'm not much of one for chat rooms - I don't do well with the speed they move at
I prefer forums like this.Well, I've spent a fruitious week contacting my disabled children's team (no answer), getting a carers assessment organised (they'll get back to me), applying for a family support worker (applications considered in order the are recieved), discovering there is absolutely no financial benefits available to me (of course a family fo five can live off £5k per year - what do you mean you need some help with housing costs? If it's not rented we can't help) and meeting with the school to reintegrate son into class - at least they were very helpful and optimistic about maybe getting some funding in the long term to assist him, now he's conveniently been violent!
Bah!
Sent a letter to Gordon Brown. Do you think he'll read it? Nope, me either!
Just waiting for the various authorities to get back to me now....
- By fenlander
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Re: Hello
Thu 10 Jul 2008 23:38Hi KezT
Your experiences this week are very much the same I get when i try to tackle everything head on - much runaround on the phone and I get nowhere very fast. You soon run out of energy.
Are you sure you're getting all the benefits you can apart from IS? Child Tax Credit, DLA, Carers Allowance - I should have thought that if you were you would be getting considerably more than 5K?
Have you contacted Citizens Advice for financial advice? I emailed mine a few years ago and they sent someone out within a week who helped me claim all I could and fill in forms. They put me onto the Disability Rights Alliance - they have a website [see my entry under Hints - Benefits info]. They publish a handbook every year which has all the details and rules for ALL the benefits and since it's up to you as an individual to hunt them out and claim it's a really useful "bible".
- By KezT
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Re: Hello
Fri 11 Jul 2008 07:49Hi Fenlnder.
The problem is that we don't get IS. bcause my husband was retired from work last year due to ill health, he gets £5k pension pa. This means weareinligable for IS or any means tested benefits. He does get IB as well, and in theory we should get DLA for my son when they get round to making that decision, but because we own rather than rent, there is virtually no help available - even though it would cost twice as much to rent a similar property in the same area! We should sell (no equity) and rent or split up and be single parent households! That is what my letter to GB was aout
I have been to CAB- I thought that can't be right, but it was
- By fenlander
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Re: Hello
Fri 11 Jul 2008 23:05Hi
My son has Aspergers and he gets DLA middle rate care and lower rate mobility - that plus carers allowance is about £112 a week which would help a lot when you get it. Do you get Child Tax credits because that is increased if your child gets DLA at different rates according to the rate they get.
Have you looked at www.direct.gov.uk - there is all the info regarding IS and all the other benefits. The thing with IS apart from anything else you don't get it if you have savings over £16000.
- By EL
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Re: Hello
Fri 11 Jul 2008 23:21Hi KezT, Adam was over my shoulder reading and saw you said you are from north sommerset! he's mad about sommerset moreso Minehead and the route of the West Sommerset Railway so please tell me where you are from as he is getting right up my nose bugging me to find out so he can 'track' on one of his many atlas's
- By KezT
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Re: Hello
Sat 12 Jul 2008 07:51Hi EL. We're in Weston-super-mare - a way away from minehead or WSR - but we're off to see the sand sculptures this weekend. you can see them here if you like
