why are home carers so under valued. carers allowance moan.

[MadMossy]

The rates since April 2020 for the South Devon Broad Rental Market Area (which includes Torbay) are:

• Shared Accommodation Rate: £65.00 per week
• One Bedroom Rate: £103.56 per week
• Two Bedrooms Rate: £138.08 per week
• Three Bedrooms Rate: £168.00 per week
• Four Bedrooms Rate: £207.12 per week

You'll be lucky to find a bedsit/shared accommodation for under £75/week, with most being in the region of £90-£100.
Been a while since I looked, still no where near the cost of actually renting in the area though. A cheap 1 bed flat in a bad area is ~£120/week, a 2 bed flat in a reasonable area is closer to £170/week.

You could just about manage a 3 bed property in an absolute dive of an area, they start around £170/week, but anything reasonable you looking at between £200-£350 a week depending on area. 4 bed starts at £325 a week.

Essentially the only way the current LHA rates would be suitable for the area, is if they all moved up a band, £100 a week for bedsit, £140/week for 1 bed flats etc etc.

 

[Surveyor]

4 bed house in South Devon for £800 a month, surely not. If so, it must be in one of the grimmest, crime ridden, drug ridden ****holes in Plymouth

Nearly £900/month so perhaps a little less grim, crime ridden and drug ridden.

 

[arknor]

but you say crazy cash. What do you consider crazy cash and how much do you think disabled people should get?

people who get
ESA high rate whatever the group is called + disability premium + DLA

a single person can be on like 200+ a week without taking into account housing benefits.
they also can claim the winter fuel payment thing that's like half a years worth of heating in reality for a single person

these people are usually not doing a whole lot with there lives and it mostly ends up being disposable income.

then someone could have real disability enough that they can't work but all they get is whatever the ESA rate is by itself like 90 a week? which is barely enough to live on surely.

how can these people ever afford new furniture, carpets, clothes etc

It's almost like a two tier disability system based on luck and who is willing to keep fighting for pip knowing the system is against them.

one group is extremely comfortable and the other struggles to live

 

[Robi_uk]

You'll be lucky to find a bedsit/shared accommodation for under £75/week, with most being in the region of £90-£100.
Been a while since I looked, still no where near the cost of actually renting in the area though. A cheap 1 bed flat in a bad area is ~£120/week, a 2 bed flat in a reasonable area is closer to £170/week.

You could just about manage a 3 bed property in an absolute dive of an area, they start around £170/week, but anything reasonable you looking at between £200-£350 a week depending on area. 4 bed starts at £325 a week.

Essentially the only way the current LHA rates would be suitable for the area, is if they all moved up a band, £100 a week for bedsit, £140/week for 1 bed flats etc etc.

I think the government needs to intervene to bring down rent in line with this figures so that they are affordable or they should take the rates up in which case they should also increase all benefits accordingly to support those that are on low income.
I would prefer the first as it would then force property prices down, however with the current government its most likely never going to happen.

 

[robfosters]

people who get
ESA high rate whatever the group is called + disability premium + DLA

a single person can be on like 200+ a week without taking into account housing benefits.
they also can claim the winter fuel payment thing that's like half a years worth of heating in reality for a single person

these people are usually not doing a whole lot with there lives and it mostly ends up being disposable income.

then someone could have real disability enough that they can't work but all they get is whatever the ESA rate is by itself like 90 a week? which is barely enough to live on surely.

how can these people ever afford new furniture, carpets, clothes etc

It's almost like a two tier disability system based on luck and who is willing to keep fighting for pip knowing the system is against them.

one group is extremely comfortable and the other struggles to live

I take huge issue with the disposable income argument. You’re basically saying we should get enough to cover food, bills and other vital costs, and have nothing left for any hobbies or leisure. Never go to a pub, never go the cinema, never go on holiday, just sit in their house slowly vegetating.

 

[arknor]

I take huge issue with the disposable income argument. You’re basically saying we should get enough to cover food, bills and other vital costs, and have nothing left for any hobbies or leisure. Never go to a pub, never go the cinema, never go on holiday, just sit in their house slowly vegetating.

I'm suggested you have a life comparable to someone who works.

someone on mimimum wage is generally worse off than someone on normal UC right? and that what? 75 a week?

so whats your 200+ a week 800+ a month equivalent of? I'm saying there should be a balance not a life of hobbies and leisure

whats the most you can have whilst on benefits as a single person it's something like 1000-1200 a month right? without kids but with a disability and not counting housing benefit

if you were 50 a week less off from PIP I doubt it would make a difference and they could use the saving to top up ESA rates or whatever the UC equivalent is.

how easy would it be for you to hit the 5k savings limit? cos I've known people who literally had to keep cash in the house to avoid it lol...

 

[robfosters]

I'm suggested you have a life comparable to someone who works.

someone on mimimum wage is generally worse off than someone on normal UC right? and that what? 75 a week?

so whats your 200+ a week 800+ a month equivalent of? I'm saying there should be a balance not a life of hobbies and leisure

whats the most you can have whilst on benefits as a single person it's something like 1000-1200 a month right? without kids but with a disability and not counting housing benefit

if you were 50 a week less off from PIP I doubt it would make a difference and they could use the saving to top up ESA rates or whatever the UC equivalent is

My total income with ESA, UC and PIP is £1350 a month, which seems fair in this day and age for a disabled person.

However, if I lived on my own, it would be ££1610, which is pretty much the max.

 

[arknor]

My total income with ESA, UC and PIP is £1350 a month, which seems fair in this day and age for a disabled person.

you have less out goings compared to someone who works though so compared to someone who works just how high a wage would they need to be on? I'm guessing it's probably above the average by quite a few K

I'm not saying everyone on disability is in the same boat the the disparity between the low end and high end is totally insane when you consider neither of them are expected to work or look for a job


why do you need 1350 but someone else only needs £418? people with the exact same conditions and exact same disabilities can be on totally opposite amounts to live on.


what extra expenses does your disability have? you could probably stick 1k under the mattress each month if you really wanted too and not really miss it.
you must reach a point where your just buying stuff for the sake of it and to avoid having 5k in savings because you already have everything you need

I'm not hating your 1350 a month, just seems wrong others with disabilities comparable to your own will be on almost nothing, the gap should be closer and imo the high end is way to luxurious compared to what the average working person lives on

 

[robfosters]

you have less out goings compared to someone who works though so compared to someone who works just how high a wage would they need to be on? I'm guessing it's probably above the average by quite a few K

I'm not saying everyone on disability is in the same boat the the disparity between the low end and high end is totally insane when you consider neither of them are expected to work or look for a job


why do you need 1350 but someone else only needs £418? people with the exact same conditions and exact same disabilities can be on totally opposite amounts to live on.


what extra expenses does your disability have? you could probably stick 1k under the mattress each month if you really wanted too and not really miss it.
you must reach a point where your just buying stuff for the sake of it and to avoid having 5k in savings because you already have everything you need

I'm not hating your 1350 a month, just seems wrong others with disabilities comparable to your own will be on almost nothing, the gap should be closer and imo the high end is way to luxurious compared to what the average working person lives on

If someone else has the same disabilities as myself, they would get exactly the same as me. I’m not outearning others with my problems

 

[arknor]

If someone else has the same disabilities as myself, they would get exactly the same as me

that's now how it works in reality for the majority of disabilities anyway

 

[robfosters]

that's now how it works in reality for the majority of disabilities anyway

Well I can’t speak for others, but for the process was totally smooth and easy. I admit, I was probably helped by the fact that was conditions are from birth and came with lots of hard medical evidence from hospital consultants.

It’s a difficult situation because they have to be vigilant. The fact is there are scammers out there trying to get as much as they can. I’ve seen many people receive DLA who just didn’t deserve it, so the system definitely needed reform.

 

[Martynt74]

Well I can’t speak for others, but for the process was totally smooth and easy. I admit, I was probably helped by the fact that was conditions are from birth and came with lots of hard medical evidence from hospital consultants.

It’s a difficult situation because they have to be vigilant. The fact is there are scammers out there trying to get as much as they can. I’ve seen many people receive DLA who just didn’t deserve it, so the system definitely needed reform.

To be honest, my wife has also found it a reasonably easy process. The first 2 assessments she had were fairly pleasant anyway. The most recent one was less so as the woman seemed to have the opinion everyone was committing fraud judging by her personality/questioning but then still ended up approving the benefit. Admittedly this is only for base level PIP.

 

[Rroff]

Around where I work starts at about £84/week for shared accommodation and that is a little rough though not too bad. Realistically looking at £100-110.

The last year though has massively impacted the 1 bedroom flat type market around here - I think a lot of young adults have moved back in with parents for various reasons whether social/isolation, financial and/or other factors pushing supply up while demand is lower and there is a ton of reasonable situated ones at around £115-140 whereas 2019 and back you'd be looking at closer to £170+.

Around where I live forget it :s

 

[Elevon]

ignoring the care industry im talking about full time carers at home, who get carers allowance.

i have been caring for my mother since 2017 so 4 years now and to be honest i'v had it with the way politicians and some members of the general public view what i and many others do.

received my yearly joke of a letter explaining how much of a increase i would be getting in benefits this year and to my surprise carers allowance is going up £0.35p a week, and income support (there to make up to the min "the law" says i can live off) is going down £0.35p, so £0.00 increase for the year as a whole.

according to the dwp this figure takes in to account inflation, so i must be living in some parallel world of no inflation on anything, but im not. my home phone and broadband is due to jump up £3 a month in may and also my mobile phone is due to rise this year as well, and that doesn't take in to account things like transport costs going up and other bits and bobs like food.

currently waiting on a reply from my MP over this and iv asked him to show how this magical figure is worked out just so i know the thinking behind it, because the dwp flat out refuses to state this to anyone it seems. im not expecting a £50 a week raise or anything like that, but last years total raise was £1.90 a week and the year before £0.80 a week. to get nothing at all has finally pushed me enough to vent about it.

just had enough with mp's and various celebs and others singing the praises of carers (and the nhs as well) and then when it comes to getting actual help be it financial or other no one wants to know.

anyways back to being on hold trying to get a covid vaccination sorted out.

I hear you, I am a carer for my dad (90), he has Alzheimer's, the money I get to look after him is only £67 a week (try living on that), I would go back to working if I could, at least minimum wage is a lot better then carers allowance, my mum can't cope so I had to help her, the Government don't care how hard it is or scraps of money they give you.

Normal job working is 1000x easier then looking after somebody that has Alzheimer's, I've had a few jobs in my time from military to large companies, it makes you appreciate carers and what they go through when you end up doing the same thing as them.

As a carer you don't really have a life, you can't switch off completely, it's a 24/7 job in my case.

My brother lost his job due to covid so he is helping us out at the moment, gives me time to type this.

 

[GAC]

I hear you, I am a carer for my dad (90), he has Alzheimer's, the money I get to look after him is only £67 a week (try living on that), I would go back to working if I could, at least minimum wage is a lot better then carers allowance, my mum can't cope so I had to help her, the Government don't care how hard it is or scraps of money they give you.

Normal job working is 1000x easier then looking after somebody that has Alzheimer's, I've had a few jobs in my time from military to large companies, it makes you appreciate carers and what they go through when you end up doing the same thing as them.

As a carer you don't really have a life, you can't switch off completely, it's a 24/7 job in my case.

My brother lost his job due to covid so he is helping us out at the moment, gives me time to type this.

you should be able to get income support as well, not a lot but its something.

as for my own situation now my mothers taken a turn for the worse so the way things stand she could die within the next few months, got carers coming in 4 times a day and district nurses twice a week, but now im basically house bound now with her while she slowly deteriorates until the inevitable.

then i get a 8 week window of the same amount in benefits until the job centres let loose on me and i end up being told to go be a carer as i have so much experience now. yeah no, talking with the carers who come here they only get min wage while their company charges a lot more.