disabled bungalow

gillarosa said:
Hi,

As a last resort I think you should visit a clinic of your local TD, bring copies of all you documents and replies received from the various agencies, its sad but sometimes when citizens find that they are getting the run about in regard to social welfare even when they meet all requirements for the scheme or allowance they are applying for that this is a way to find resolution.

Goodluck.
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thanks gillarosa,

ive taken your advice and my phoned my local TD yet again this time i got to speak to him, not his secretary, although the secretary was extremely helpful, and my TD said he will look into my situation straight away,

thanks for your help

Liketoknow
 
Hi there liketoknow

There are a number of issues that are unclear from your posts (or perhaps which I've just missed) which make it difficult to provide a response to you. For example:

(a) How old is your daughter? What age is your other child?
(b) You mention a Lone Parent payment, do you mean you are currently getting the One Parent Family Payment? Why is your payment expiring at the start of April 2008?)
(d) You reckon you are owed at least €10,000 in arrears payments of Carer's Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Respite Care. How do you calculate this?

The half-rate Carer's Allowance is payable to people on One Parent Family Payment, so this is something you could apply for immediately.

I'm not really sure though if Askaboutmoney is the right forum for you to seek information on your rights and entitlements; it can be difficult to post all the information necessary for other users to comprehensively answer a query such as yours. I do however think there may be other supports and (possibly benefits) you could claim.

Staff in your nearest Citizens Information Centre provide free, confidential advice and information on all aspects of rights and entitlements, including social welfare payments, health and housing services. In addition, some Citizens Information Centres provide some advocacy services on behalf of clients.

If you wish to PM me I can see if I can locate a contact for you, or alternatively you can contact your local centre (see drop-down list in the link above) and ask about the services they provide.

I hope this has been of assistance.
 
I'm not really sure though if Askaboutmoney is the right forum for you to seek information on your rights and entitlements;

Yes I would agree with that, with some of the nasty replies she got I wouldn't blame her.

This topic has been up for a while but have only read through it today - I cannot believe some of the replies treating that girl like she is out for freebies from the state. So what if she bought a new car to transport her seriously ill (by the sounds of it) daughter to the hospital etc., and everyone deserves a holiday - again by the sounds of it, not least this girl.
Can't believe all the little "detectives" digging up her old posts and quizzing her about them when she is looking for advice regarding her daughter who is ill! Have a bit of sensitivity for gods sake!. And making comments about people getting "given" council houses and not being happy with them, really shows up the ignorance of some people.:rolleyes:

As the girl said herself, you don't know the half of what she has gone through.
I'm not a confrontational person and would never usually post replies like this but reading some of those posts have really made my blood boil.

Liketoknow - take on board the advice from the people who have actually been helpful to you and ignore the rest of them. I feel for your situation and hope you get sorted. Keep hounding the council and don't let it go. Best of luck
 
CMCR,
Thanks for the reply,
my little girl is almost 13 months old, my little boy is almost 6.

lone parent is being withdrawn because my childs father comes to visit her regularly and apparently this isnt allowed (or something like that) when on opf allowance.

i havent received the letter yet to say when they are taking it but they did say it was april.
I havent collected my payment today as my daughter was again in hospital so i will only know tomorrow when i go to collect it, if its been stopped or not.

i worked out the 10,000 arrears from being owed half the rate of carers from when she was born,
55 weeks @ 100 a week = 5500
domiciliary allowance = 9 x 281=2529 & 4 @ 300=1200
total =3729

domiciliary was increased from 281 to 300 in an 2008.

and respite for last june of 1700

carers = 5500
dom =3729
respite =1700
-----------------
10929 euro.
 
Dee101,

thanks for the support,
shocked myself at some replies, im only looking for a bit of support for my daughter, but thankfully the majority of the replies have been very helpful.

im a bit lost at the moment , she didnt get good news at the hospital today, and has 4 more scheduled apps now this month costing me so mucgh to get up and back, and arrange a child minder for my son before and after school.

Ill just keep going and try not let it get on top of me!!! hard though!

thanks again

liketoknow
 
Hi liketoknow,
Ive been following this thread but because I didnt have any information to offer I didnt post in it before now.

I just wanted to say to you, this is a public forum and like any other sector of the public you are gonna get nice people and people who are not so nice, so forget and ignore the nasty responses and DO NOT let it put you off asking for information, some people have nothing better to do than try to put others in a bad light - so dont let them get you down and just dont bother responding to any of the posts that dont help you.

I wish I could be of more help - the only other avenue I can think of for you to explore is the public health nurse, my mum had a stroke many years ago and it was the public health nurse who helped with stuff for the house like railings and special chair and bath items etc...
 
thanks truthseeker,
my health nuse is very nice, she has always offered help and said i should ask her if i ever need anything and up until now i have just nodded and said ill let you know.

i hate the thoughts of anyone thinking i cant cope and thats why i havent asked for help before, but i really need it now and i know my way of thinking was wrong before and people will think no less of me for needing help.

i will contact my health nurse and ask for the help needed , thanks for you reply.
 
lordie - never worry about asking for a helping hand, sure thats why theres people like public health nurses - believe me, theyve seen it all and worse, she probably thinks youre dead easy to deal with compared to some situations she would be asked to go into to!!!

Ask her to call to the house and actually show her the problems - she may even have useful info to help you re social welfare, and she should certainly be able to offer items to help make the house safer and she may be able to offer/organise respite.
 
thanks truthseeker, ill do that, i phoned a place the other day to try organise a few hours a week respite, and they are coming to seem me next week, so hopefully it wont take too long for that to happen.
 
secionn took time out to give extremely useful information. Well informed and well written.

He made a very valid point:

All Carers deserve a break. Not many get to New York, buy a new car and claim they cannot afford to repair their bannisters.
You seem to have great family support perhaps you should ask them for some help with the bannisters.
I am not judging you but I think you are being disingenious with your situation.
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I see no reason to accuse him of not being "nice".

The OP badly needs the bannisters fixed. I agree with secionn that this is a higher priority than some of her other expenditure.

Brendan
 
Brendan said:
secionn took time out to give extremely useful information. Well informed and well written.

He made a very valid point:



I see no reason to accuse him of not being "nice".

The OP badly needs the bannisters fixed. I agree with secionn that this is a higher priority than some of her other expenditure.

Brendan
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What the OP needs is a house which is suitable for her disabled child - thats what the title of the thread is. The bannisters is a side issue and a short term solution - it is not the answer to the original query.

People on here have jumped on a bandwagon and picked on side issues and are quite frankly being nasty. Nothing to do with being "nice" its to do with people replying to the post with no intention of being helpful to the OP, just replying with nasty picky comments.
 
Hi,

Check the Ombudsman for Children website for a similar case:

[broken link removed]

Best of Luck,

Parkman
 
Have you applied to Wicklow Co Co for an essential repairs grant to get the bannisters fixed, and to make other alterations which will make it easier to care for your daughter?

Accessible social housing used to be a bit of a hobby horse for your local TD, I'm sure he is a bit preoccupied with Lisbon amongst other issues at the moment, but its worth a shot.
 
the car purchase was a month ago, bfore the bannister broke, the holiday was november, again before the bannister broke.

i did not expect this to happen, i have since hammered two lats of wood across the broken one temporarily to hold them in place.

they were faulty no doubt about that, i shouldnt have had to carry out a DIY on it the council should have fixed it regardless .

I dont think secionn"s points were valid in that not many carers go to new york, that doesnt help me with the problem at hand.

thank you all so much for the KIND replies, and i am going to use each and everyone of those bits of advice. A

A little more insight into my daughters condition is she only has one lung,
her major organs are in her chest cavity , she chokes daily, cant feed, severe respiratory problems, causing a lot of difficulty when she is downstairs in her room, i hear her choking and it takes me two stair gates and 15 steps to get to her to ensure she doesnt choke.

again , thanks for the kind replies.
 
Parkman said:
Hi,

Check the Ombudsman for Children website for a similar case:

[broken link removed]

Best of Luck,

Parkman
Click to expand...

Parkman,
i looked that up its very interesting , i pray we wont have to wait that long. thanks for your help
 
SarahMc said:
Have you applied to Wicklow Co Co for an essential repairs grant to get the bannisters fixed, and to make other alterations which will make it easier to care for your daughter?

Accessible social housing used to be a bit of a hobby horse for your local TD, I'm sure he is a bit preoccupied with Lisbon amongst other issues at the moment, but its worth a shot.
Click to expand...

SarahMc
i didnt know i could get a grant, for the moment ive done a DIY job on it myself, Dick Roche used to be my local TD but I contacted another TD who is closer to home, this afternoon his office said they would contact the council to see if they could get a straight answer for me but not to hold out hope as the council can be tight lipped with their information, not really sure what im meant to make of that but i stand in hope !!

thanks for your reply.
 
Thank you Brendan the Administrator for your comments and others for theirs.

I am actually not a man but a woman. I am a Mother and a Carer of a child with a severe disability and two disabled adults relatives with both physical and mental disabilities. I know all about the stresses of caring for individuals with disability as I have been doing this for many years. I know respite care is important. What I do not like is Carers looking for "pity" in their situation, and suggesting perhaps that they cannot afford to get their bannisters fixed, it gives a poor reflection of Carers when they have money to spend on other things. It is being disingenious. You cannot earn respect from pity. You can either be a victim of your situation or be proactive and be a proper advocate for the disabled and Carers. The disabled child or adult you are caring for deserves that from the Carer.

Liketoknow story seems to be strange. The Department of Social Welfare do not remove the Lone Parent Allowance from a Mother when the father of the child is visiting the child, there probably is another reason.

It is difficult to get information from the HSE regarding entitlements, and it is best to get proper information from support organisations. There are many out there who are only too delighted to help and to Advocate for Carers. There are many Carers out there who genuinely do not have a new car or even get much of a break. I feel liketoknow is lucky, not lucky that her child has special needs, but lucky that she has supports,housing, etc(The Primary Medical Certificate is very valuable as it allows the holder to buy a new car VRT exempted and to change the car for a new car every two years, it is also very very difficult to get this Certificate. How many people out there can buy a new car every two years?) but more importantly her extended family are so supportive. Sometimes you need to stand back and realise that you are lucky, and not look at yourself as a victim all the time.

In relation to her need for a bungalow, we all know that the housing lists are huge, there are many Carers who do not have a house. I know one Carer who cares for her two disabled children in her parents house, a two bedroomed house. She is also on the housing list. Yes it is not good enough but it is a fact of life. Liketoknow is lucky her child is young, and carrying a young child up and down stairs is not as bad as carrying an older child or in some cases an adult, and many Carers are doing this today in Ireland. In order to assist change you need to be an Advocate for the disabled not feeling like a victim. You also need to look at your circumstances and be inventive and make changes yourself instead of looking all the time for outside help. If the bannisters need repairing, get a piece of wood and fix it up temporarily until the Council come to fix it. Safety of the disabled child should be an absolute priority, get stairgates etc. The disabled person is depending on you.

All the suggestions in this post from people have been proactive, i.e write to T.D's after all they are our public representatives, contact support agencies etc. It is a privilidge to be a Carer and to look after the disabled, you really learn the true meaning of life and it certainly is not materialistic.The things that I constantly strive for and advocate for is Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Psychology, appropriate schooling all things that assist the disabled person, and give then true quality of life and helps them reach their true potential.

This forum on AAM is really not the best place for these issues, and also this part of the forum is a Home and Gardens discussion and advice section. If people think I am "mean" they are entitled to their opinion, just as much as I am entitled to mine. It is a free society and this is a public forum.
 
secionn,
i have read your post and taken it all on board, but i am in no way looking for pity.
We live in a society that should be able to look after the disabled but that is simply not the case. my cousin is severely disabled , after a car accident , he is paralysed on one side, brain injured, and his mum cannot get the carers allowance .
so by not being happy about that or voicing her concerns she is looking for pity? also she has the vrt redemption too but cannot get carers.

i dont want to get into this too much , i havent the time today we are off to an appointment with the hse, but my daughter is my main priority and always will be, but i receive 263 a week made up of opf and fuel allowance, fuel will end at the end of this month, i pay rent , insurance, food,esb,gas,phone,fuel for car, no money for treats etc, so i genuinely could not afford to fix a BANNISTER .

there is no other reason for my opf being withdrawn, her father visits, and hs attended hospital appointments and the social welfare assume we are in a relationship which is not the case, (we broke up as a result of the stress of our daughters illness), probably my fault as i still believe there was something i could have done to prevent it(again , not looking for pity here).

I dont think i have portrayed carers in a bad light at all , so should carers who cant get the proper support shut and keep stum? so nothing will ever change? thats what i assume you mean by the wording of your post.
 
Also, lets not forget, Wicklow County Council own the house, they are the Landlords and I belive therefore responsible to maintain the property to a safe standard, a bannister should not be either so badly installed to break as it has and when this has happened it should be a priority for them to fix it, not the Tennant.
 
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