So, I called the Carer's Allowance people to tell them Daddy had died, it took them ages to answer the 'phone because even with such a delicate issue, they don't actually have the humanity to have someone answering that 'phone as a priority.
They told me that I didn't have to worry about anything, that the Carer's Allowance and the Income Support top-up is paid for eight weeks as a bereavement period which of course turns out not to be true. The Carer's Allowance and the Income Support are like dominoes attached to the Attendance Allowance, and as that stopped after a month of Daddy being in hospital, so the others 'fall' too as according to them, because he was in hospital, there was a break in my caring for him. As I was there every day from lunchtime until after 11.30 p.m. if he needed me, I didn't see that there was a break. I washed him, shaved him, did his exercises, moisturised and massaged him, washed his hair - I even shaved him after he died - how does any of that, in any normal, sane, humane way mean there was a break in my care? He was my father, there wasn't a moment when I stopped caring for him and it is beyond heartless and insensitive to even say that out loud to me.
So here I am now, having to go to the Job Centre tomorrow to say I am fit and ready for work - as if that was anything like true - with no money coming in as my benefits were stopped without notice. I've had my N.I. stamp withdrawn too so now I lose a year of pension entitlement too unless I can pay the top-up money myself which I won't be able to, and I have to pay back almost £200 of my carer's allowance too. Oh and I also have the dubious pleasure of being forced to take a minimum wage job without any right of appeal because the rules say that I have been out of work for more than six months as caring isn't seen as having a job.
I didn't expect kindness or humanity but I didn't expect so many kicks when I am so far down. What on earth is happening in our society that we are treated so badly at such a time?
They told me that I didn't have to worry about anything, that the Carer's Allowance and the Income Support top-up is paid for eight weeks as a bereavement period which of course turns out not to be true. The Carer's Allowance and the Income Support are like dominoes attached to the Attendance Allowance, and as that stopped after a month of Daddy being in hospital, so the others 'fall' too as according to them, because he was in hospital, there was a break in my caring for him. As I was there every day from lunchtime until after 11.30 p.m. if he needed me, I didn't see that there was a break. I washed him, shaved him, did his exercises, moisturised and massaged him, washed his hair - I even shaved him after he died - how does any of that, in any normal, sane, humane way mean there was a break in my care? He was my father, there wasn't a moment when I stopped caring for him and it is beyond heartless and insensitive to even say that out loud to me.
So here I am now, having to go to the Job Centre tomorrow to say I am fit and ready for work - as if that was anything like true - with no money coming in as my benefits were stopped without notice. I've had my N.I. stamp withdrawn too so now I lose a year of pension entitlement too unless I can pay the top-up money myself which I won't be able to, and I have to pay back almost £200 of my carer's allowance too. Oh and I also have the dubious pleasure of being forced to take a minimum wage job without any right of appeal because the rules say that I have been out of work for more than six months as caring isn't seen as having a job.
I didn't expect kindness or humanity but I didn't expect so many kicks when I am so far down. What on earth is happening in our society that we are treated so badly at such a time?
