Care for mum- help with benefits

[gbmartho]

Hi, earlier on this year my mum was diagnosed with Alzheimers and is now on medication for the disease, unfortunately in July my father died, he was in a care home and in fact was away from mum since xmas, she is now on her own and is slowly coming to face that, I have organised care for her and carers go in twice a day to check on her welfare, take her shopping etc.

Now my father has gone mum is starting to get many bills and she does not have the capacity to pay these so I have taken on that task.

I was wondering if there is any help or advice that you can give me about any benefits the my mum may be able to receive, she has just received a council tax bill, before when my father was their the bill was zero now its being charged.

She does have a savings account and is over the 16K threshold, but I need advice on what is available to support a person who has Alzheimers, her social worker stated that she should get free council tax, however the council disagree.

For myself this is something I never envisaged having to do as mum has always been as bright as a button until now.

Any help or guidance is much appreciated

 

[jaymor]

Hi @gbmartho and welcome to the forum.

Does your local authority know your Mum has been diagnosed with having Alzheimers? This is classed as severe mental impairment which does qualify for full council dusregard if she lives alone. Perhaps I should add may qualify as I’ve seen that in some places when looking up benefits. Once she starts to need help she can apply for attendance allowance, the lower rate to start with and a higher rate later in when her needs increase. Attendance allowance is not a means tested benefit.

 

[gbmartho]

Hi Jay, yes I have told them over the phone but I received a call yesterday from the council and was told that as she is over the threshold she would not qualify, I may just give them another ring, O will also look into the attendance allowance as I have not head of that.
Many thanks
Martin

 

[Sarasa]

Hi @gbmartho, and a warm welcome to Dementia Talking Point.
Do you have Lasting Power of Attorney for your mother? If not it might be worth trying to sort it out now. Your mother would need to understand that by signing the forms you would be able to help her with her finances. doctor's decisions etc, so it is probably worth trying to sort that out now if you haven't already. I'd also make sure that all the bills are on direct debit so that they don't get missed. Also if you think your mum might hide letters she doesn't understand it would be worth getting the post re-directed to your house.

 

[gbmartho]

Hi Sarasa, I tried this a few months ago when my father was alive. however both of them did not have the capacity to understand, at the time there were both 86 and failed to grasp the seriousness.

 

[Izzy]

Welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry that you are facing such difficulties. I wondered if this fact sheet would be of any help -

Benefits for people affected by dementia

If you are living with dementia, or caring for someone with the condition, you may be eligible for some benefits if dementia affects your ability to work, or if you have extra costs because of it.

www.alzheimers.org.uk

 

[Sarasa]

Hi @@gbmartho, this is the link to information about Deputyship. Although more of a faff than Lasting Power of Attorney it is doable. If you are going to manage your mother's affairs you will need it, so best to start the process now as it can take a while.

 

[jaymor]

Hi Jay, yes I have told them over the phone but I received a call yesterday from the council and was told that as she is over the threshold she would not qualify, I may just give them another ring, O will also look into the attendance allowance as I have not head of that.
Many thanks
Martin

Council tax disregard is not means tested no more than someone living ion their own getting 25% reduction.

 

[Izzy]

Another factsheet!

Discounts, disregards and exemptions on council tax

Some people will be eligible for discounts, disregards and exemptions on their council tax. All of these terms have different meanings, so it’s important to know the difference.

www.alzheimers.org.uk

 

[canary]

Hi Jay, yes I have told them over the phone but I received a call yesterday from the council and was told that as she is over the threshold she would not qualify, I may just give them another ring, O will also look into the attendance allowance as I have not head of that.
Many thanks
Martin

The council is talking about council tax reduction or exemption, not council tax disregard due to severe mental impairment - its important to get the right term.
You need to download the forms for disregard from your local council web-site, get her GP to sign them and then send them to the council.

Age UK will help with advising you what benefits she would be eligible for and will help with filling in forms etc. I strongly advise you get help from them in filling in the form for Attendance Allowance