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Benefits

(13 Posts)
Charleygirl5 Wed 23-Dec-20 16:45:00

I have a friend who is 62, lives locally who has recently been diagnosed with cancer in her lungs and mets in her liver. Like myself, she does not have a clue about the benefits available. She works locally parttime but has been doing it from home recently as has her husband who I think has had his hours cut.

Can anybody help please?

midgey Wed 23-Dec-20 16:49:49

I can’t help but there are websites and charities that can point her in the right direction. Lots of googling might help.

Blossoming Wed 23-Dec-20 16:51:43

MacMillan can advise with benefits information and support.

www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/benefits-and-financial-support

Lisagran Wed 23-Dec-20 16:53:19

www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/benefits-and-financial-support/personal-independence-payment

Charleygirl5 Wed 23-Dec-20 16:53:55

Thank you so much- that is very helpful.

Artaylar Wed 23-Dec-20 16:55:18

A charity called Turn 2 Us has a benefits calculator on their website
benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/AboutYou

They also have a helpline
www.turn2us.org.uk/About-Us/Our-helpline

Hope this helps

Lisagran Wed 23-Dec-20 16:55:20

If your friend is attending hospital visits, Macmillan nurses may help her with the financial side of things. It’s awful to have the burden of worrying about money when seriously unwell.

YorkLady Wed 23-Dec-20 17:00:22

Personally can recommend talking to your local Macmillan team. They have helped us enormously this year. They cannot claim benefits on your behalf but they will talk you thru what is available and how to claim, if applicable.
They were wonderful in the fact that they are there to talk any problems through and also had all our medical information regarding OH cancer operation and subsequent Chemo treatment..
They will also call you up, just to see how you are doing. Cannot praise them enough.

Charleygirl5 Wed 23-Dec-20 17:49:57

This is all so helpful, thanks.

tanith Wed 23-Dec-20 18:39:15

Charleygirl5 I don’t know where your friend is having treatment but it could be Mount Vernon if so they have a wonderful centre there called the Lynda Jackson McMillan centre they have a wealth of information and are very helpful. I don’t think the centre is open due to COVID but you can ring them for help with many things related. This is the link to their website.

www.ljmc.org/

Charleygirl5 Wed 23-Dec-20 21:01:31

tanith thanks

Tangerine Wed 23-Dec-20 21:43:28

Citizens Advice may be able to help.

vampirequeen Thu 24-Dec-20 10:33:41

She needs to look into

ESA...used to be called sick pay. Comes in two levels...one for people they decide are ill but not too ill to work and the other for those the finally accept are too ill to work.

PIP...used to be Disability Living Allowance. This comes in two sections...care and mobility. Each section has different levels of payment depending on how much help the accept that you need.

Carers Allowance...paid to a person who cares for another for at least 35 hours a week and it dependent on how much that person earns.

Whatever she applies for she needs to get help completing the forms from a disability group. The assessors always try to deny or pay the lowest rates. There is a trick to answering the questions to make sure you get the level you're entitled to.