Carers Week

I don't often jump on the bandwaggon of nominated days or weeks but this popped up in Facebook memories and it seemed applicable.

As well as all the physical work of caring, or the work of physically caring if you prefer, there is the bureaucracy we have to deal with - none of it simple or easy.  Any time you apply for anything you have to look at the worst aspects of your child's, or in my case young adult's, disability.  

Positive thinking has to go out of the window.  

It is an emotional punch in the guts every time.

This Facebook post was a thank you to the team that helped us apply for benefits for Ferretfingers. 

Would that things were still this way but ‘austerity’ has forced local authorities to cut back so hard on social services that help with claims seems to have gone by the wayside.  

Social workers have become as rare as pandas, have huge caseworks and thus concentrate on those with most needs or at highest risk.  

We who seems to be coping are assigned to Enablement Officers who basically push paperwork (now digitised) about, are less qualified, less costly and, with the best will in the world and to be charitable, less useful to people like me.

11 June 2015 at 16:33 ·

Social workers and social services come in for a lot of stick so please bear with me when I say a heartfelt Thank You to Ferretfingers’ social worker and the two ladies from our Local Authority Adult Social Care and Welfare Benefits team who filled in his ESA and PIP forms for me/him.  We now have both and it will make life easier knowing we can afford to pay for support for him when he needs it, all those things he wants and just the cost of keeping him fed, clothed and housed.  John, Dawn and Laura - thanks.

Mr Mull  It also should make us all stop and consider when three 'experts' and one very savvy mum are needed to complete Government forms to get what is clearly due.   

What about those who don't have that level of support?

Pink Kitchen  Please please please send them a thank you - it sounds very little but a written thank you is so appreciated in this job!

Bentonbag I emailed them this morning when the PIP letter arrived

Pink Kitchen Ahh, lovely! If only there was more of you!

Bentonbag  According to the BMI on my recent NHS health check there's far too much of me 😜

MsLNR  So pleased you got these for your boy Ben.  And they deserve a big thank you xxxx

Mrs Monkshood  You can't have too much of a good thing Ben!