Attendance Allowance

[yorkie46]

Can anyone help.
My husband for some years received Attendance Allowance at the lower rate. He has now been diagnosed with Frontal Lobe Dementia, would this entitle him to the higher rate either now or in the future. If so how do I go about claiming it for him?

 

[Beate]

It is not about about a particular diagnosis but about his needs at night, even if not met. Does he need help at night as he wakes and needs to be taken to the toilet or changed, for example? Then you should apply for the higher rate. Call the council and ask them to send the form - it is a much shorter form if you are going from lower to higher.

 

[Duggies-girl]

Can anyone help.
My husband for some years received Attendance Allowance at the lower rate. He has now been diagnosed with Frontal Lobe Dementia, would this entitle him to the higher rate either now or in the future. If so how do I go about claiming it for him?

My dad was on DLA lower rate for years. He was diagnosed about a year ago with alzheimers. It was a late diagnosis, he has probably had it for about seven years. I applied for the higher rate back in March and he was refused so I asked for a mandatory reconsideration, refused again.

His dementia is quite advanced, he can no longer prepare food or operate appliances. He cannot go out alone, walks very slowly with a stick, is totally reliant on me for everything but does still live alone. He will not eat unless food is put on a plate in front of him and had lost about 3 stone in weight and they still blindly insisted that his needs had not increased. He had in fact been living on ensure milk shakes since Christmas. He can still wash himself and take himself to the toilet.

Do get help with the forms if you can as I think that they are making it as difficult as possible for people. I consider myself to be pretty good at forms but we did not know about the cancer when I filled in the first application. When I wrote and asked for a mandatory reconsideration I gave them all the details of his cancer as well as his dementia and I included copies of the consultants letters that stated he had an advanced cancer and how it had affected him since before Christmas and they still insisted that his needs had not changed.

I did get him the higher rate in the end and it was backdated to May. He only got it in the end because he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and is considered to be terminal (hence the drastic weight loss) Hospital nurse sent in a special form for me that automatically gives him the higher rate.

Flipping ridiculous and I am still fuming but he got it in the end but only because he was terminal.

I wish you the best of luck with it but don't expect it to be automatically given.

 

[Sirena]

As Beate says, it's about needs, you should get the higher rate if your husband needs assistance at night. My mother gets the higher rate, she is in a care home and she needs guidance and help with getting in and out of bed, and with toileting and continence needs during the night (questions 27/28 on the original form I think). If the person can cope alone during the night, they usually get the lower rate.

 

[yorkie46]

Thanks everyone for your help. My husband doesn't yet need help at night, I'm very doubtful that he would get the higher rate but thought it was worth hearing others experiences. Sounds like you had a real struggle Duggies-girl. I was planning on asking for he'll with any forms in future, I do think they make them as difficult as possible so that people don't bother applying. I'll let you all know if I decide to apply.

 

[canary]

My mum got the higher rate because she was up and down all night looking for "home" and would go out at night dressed only in her dressing gown and get lost. She needed someone to watch over her and keep her safe at night. Even in her care home she was wandering around all night.