Yesterday, the 17th September 2015:

I woke up at 6.45 am I was feeling good, a fresh day, a new day, always the optimist. My washing machine has broken down and is not repairable, so I knew that I had a busy day ahead of me as this was the day that I had planned to hand wash all of our clothes – what a thought. But hey! ho! it needed to be done!

I woke the children for school and started the normal process of encouraging them to get ready, eat breakfast and do their normal morning hygiene processes – hard work to say the least.

It normally takes my mum at least half an hour to have a bowel movement and I wanted her to be on the commode at least half an hour before the carer came to help me shower and dress her. I asked my daughter to help me get her granny up out of bed and onto the commode.

At 8 am my son and daughter left for school. I continued to check on my mum. Eventually my mum had a bowel movement. I cleaned my mum and got the stand aid out of my shed, so that I could get my mum up and onto her wheelchair, this took ages and by 8.50 am I had my mum sitting comfortably on her wheelchair.

At 9 am the carer arrived to help me shower and dress my mum. By 9.45 am we had my mum washed, dressed and ready for breakfast. I prepared my mums breakfast and fed her, brushed her teeth and brushed her hair. It was now time for the taxi to arrive to collect my mum and take her to the day care centre she attends. We always have a quick chat before the taxi leaves. She’s a lovely lady.

The time is now 10.40 and my mum has left for the day care centre. whoopee! now I can get changed and washed and have my breakfast.

The washing begins !!!!!!!!!!!

The post arrives !!!!!@@@@!!!!!

Now I am feeling psychotic. I am furious. Why???? Because once again government cuts and overworked staff have ruined my day and made me feel stressed, anxious and annoyed.

For the last year my mum has went to a day care centre every week. Her day care centre days are Monday’s, Tuesday’s, Thursday’s and Friday’s. She gets picked up by a taxi at 10.30 and dropped off at 15.30.

When this service was offered to my mum, no-one and I mean no-one, said that there would be any charge for the service. My mum is wheelchair bound and is NOT ENTITLED TO A MOBILTY CAR AS YOU NEED TO BE UNDER PENSION AGE to apply for a mobility car. Because of this transport was organised to take my mum to and from the daycare centre. Again no-one mentioned that there would be a charge for this service. I was under the impression it was all covered by care in the community and because my mum had paid into the ‘system’ throughout her working life.

Nearly a year later (just last week actually) I received a call and I was told that my mum had arrears amounting to around £7,000 – can you believe the shock I got when I was told this. We had not received any notification of this mounting debt, no invoices, no calls. Actually, as I said before, we were not even told that there was any charge at all for any of these services. This was being looked into. I was asked to fill in a discretionary form, which I done, which included my reasons as to why I felt my mum/we should not have to pay these arrears – quite obvious I would say! I was told that the discretionary form would go to a discretionary panel that sits every month and that they would make a decision regarding whether we needed to pay these arrears or not.

Brilliant!!!!! So people who i do not know will look at all my families personal information and decide if we are entitled to pay for someone else’s mistake – how lucky are we??????

Rant over……..

Back to the postman – The postman delivered a letter today which stated that we had to pay around £600 a month, which incorporates my mums arrears and what they deem my mum can afford to pay towards her transport to the day care centre, which is  £56.59 a week. If we include her weekly lunch money for the day care centre she will have to pay £76.59 a week – WE CAN NOT AFFORD THIS.

I contacted the letter writer and explained this and said that we would need to cancel the transport. I contacted my mum’s keyworker and said the same.

I was told that because my mum had already used the transport service this week that she would still have to pay the full £56.59, therefore, she was as well going to the day care centre for the remainder of the week.

I contacted the local MP’s office to voice my complaints and concerns and the conversation went something like this:

Me: “hello I was wondering if you could help with a problem I have”

Telephonist: “can I ask what your name is and your address with your postal code

Me: gave these details.

Telephonist: “how can I help”

Me: I explained about the arrears and I explained about the weekly charge that we have been told we need to pay, voicing my concerns and complaints.

Telephonist: “well I do not think we could do anything at the moment I think you will need to wait until the discretionary hearing takes place”.

Me: “that’s fine, I agree, however, what about this charge which has come about due to Government cuts”.

Telephonist: “well was a financial assessment carried out”

Me: “yes”

Telephonist: “well they must have assessed that your mum could afford the charge”

Me “well she cannot, do you realise how expensive it is to buy the things that my mum needs”

Telephonist: “well do you receive carers allowance”

Me: “Yes”

Telephonist: “well there you go you get all the benefits you are entitled too”

Me: “we cannot afford these charges…….”

Telephonist: Interrupted me and said “well I can send out a letter….”

Me: I interrupted the telephonist and said “look just forget I called and do not bother sending  a letter out on my behalf I will deal with this in another way”

END OF CALL

So! what do I take from that. Is she saying that I have to use my carers allowance, which I get as a ‘sort of’ wage for looking after my mum, to pay for my mum’s transport?

Or! Does she ‘not’ understand what carers allowance is?

I AM BAFFLED

Later in the day I decided to contact the local MPs office again hoping that I would be able to arrange an appointment to meet with the local MP – this is in the process of being arranged, I am awaiting an email.

Failing to say I got hardly any of my washing done, this will have to be carried forward to another day.

and

Instead of spending quality time with my mum and children when they got home I spent my time ranting and raving in my head, keeping myself busy and feeling worried and worthless about our situation.

Hence the reason I felt psychotic.

The day in the life of someone caring for a person with Alzheimer’s.