Attendance allowance claim

Get back to Age UK as soon as you can. They were very helpful to my husband, completing the application form on his behalf.

Remember that the form is not asking you about your best days but the day to day difficulty of your life. The assessors will look at the completed application form. They are not really interested in how you were in the past.

Good luck

BTW, if you get AA you will find it much easier to get a blue badge.

It's helpful to have someone who knows what to say with you as most people downplay their symptoms and you need to say the right words. See if there is any organisation in your town that can help - Citizens Advice, Age Concern, disability organisations. They need everything to do with your health. A chap from RNIB helped my Mum and I. She was rejected the first time so we had to appeal and he helped again. She now gets the full allowance as she is registered blind, has dementia, COPD and very poor mobility.

Starof1972, I think your worries are unfounded, so please don't stress about it. Diagnoses (original or recent) aren't that helpful, as it's all about what you can and cannot do - and how much help you need.

Whether you get all the help you need is unimportant too. I filled in the application for my mother. She needed help both day and night at the time.

When you first claim should make no difference, either. Just answer the questions and it should be clear enough. You've paid into the system and you deserve the extra money to spend as you wish - to make life easier or just to treat yourself.

Disability.co.uk have a good little guide to the form which h I think you will find useful. Remember even if you use an aid like a walking stick to help with your balance include this but if you are still very fatigued and in pain when walking also statr this. Just jot down in diary form for a typical day what help you need from the moment you wake up. Disabled peo0le often find convulated way around things so even if you manage a task state how long it takes you, if you experience pain or fatigue. Do you wear slip on shoes as you csn no longer do up laces, can you do up buttons. Can you cook unsupervised or does your husband have to cook for you? Do you need help with showering or toileting, do you have accidents because you can't get to the toilet quick enough. It is good to mention hiw many times in a day you need help with a task eg getting in and out of a chair. Hooe you get my drift and hope this and the pointers from disability.co.uk help and that you are successful, good luck. If you have letters about diagnosis or any recent medical appointments do a copy and attach a copy of your repeat medication form. If you need more room use a blank page, put your name and national insurance nos on each page and the number or number and part of the form you are giving additional info. On. If you run out of time eg you have had the flu or a bad flare ring them up straight away as often they can give you another 2 weeks.x

Don’t be embarrassed or play down your restrictions Starof1972 be utterly honest and include bathing and toileting, if they cause you issues. Some people don’t like to mention such things, but it builds a total picture. Others have given great advice, good luck.

I have PMed you. Good luck.

Iv just set up a lady from Age UK to visit an elderly friend I support. She dud home visit to my friend . He got back pay and the higher amount is to be paid. All I did was venture into our local afe retirement centre and enquire and the put me in touch with a lady who fills out forms like these. Good luck

Good luck with the form - it's very comprehensive and, as said above. do your best to be objective and honest; this is not the time to gloss over anything at all. Your husband needing to do the writing for you is certainly something to mention.

There is also a space for someone else to write about how they see you. We were fortunate to have a family friend who is a community nurse so her contribution covered a lot of relevant detail.

I would ring AgeUk rather than emailing. As others have said, try CAB, the local branch of the disability that is causing you to claim or a Carer's association in your area.

Also, as others have said, you need to talk about your worst possible day not nake light of any of it.

Agreed. My mum was good at coping with her restrictions and making light of her difficulties. She would not not have considered herself disabled, though was glad of her Blue Badge. One of her granddaughters completed her AA form for/ with her. She was very observant and included all sorts of things Mum would not have thought to mention. Remember you don’t have to be getting help, just needing it. And if successful, you can use the money how you like, no questions asked.

One of her granddaughters completed her AA form for/ with her. She was very observant and included all sorts of things Mum would not have thought to mention

I think this bit is very important.

I know a family who got it. I was quite surprised.
They just filled in the form carefully and well.
They also had a letter or something, from the doctor. Which they think helped.

I should say that what the doctor contributed was up to date, as far as I know.

Thank you all. My husband and I have read through the replies and they are very helpful. I have never thought of myself as being disabled having seen so many others in worse positions and have coped with things as best I could but the pain is awful sometimes. The fact that I can manage some things some of the time (using swipe to type on my phone for example) put me off applying but I feel very low now having to accept help with dressing and hair washing etc as I'm unable to raise my arms at times. However, I shall do what I can today and give AgeUK a call. Thanks so much for the advice.

Just to add, the Higher level payment is for those who need help day and night. Night means during the night, not just getting into bed at bedtime,

Ah that's good to know Cabbie21 as I can get into bed and do a shuffle into position but can't use my wrists to lever myself out. It's rare that I need to get out at night but need a gentle pull if I do. If I need to roll over it sometimes has the two of us in stitches though I appreciate it's not a laughing matter for a lot of people. For me though it's count to 3 then roll. It's not such a giggle if I need to move up the bed though! Thanks again everyone.

I gave up on Age UK .
I've asked for advice and got nowhere .
I completely the forms and sent them off .

You have to state in words of one syllable how you turn over in bed and the fact it is impossible for you to move up the bed. How would you cope if your husband was hospitalised?

Can you get out of the house by yourself? Can you walk down a supermarket aisle, if so how do you do it? Can you reach for every item you need? If not, how do you manage? It is the minutiae which we forget about which is really important.

Even things like switching on the TV. Can you reach the sockets, if so with difficulty and how? Can you use the handset? Do you, like me, need subtitles or even an audio description as I am partially sighted.
Good luck.

I would add that the guidance notes on filling in the form are really useful and though-provoking.

www.ageuk.org.uk/bp-assets/globalassets/norfolk/pdfs/attendance-allowance-guidance-2022.pdf

It's worth drafting a form in pencil and then sleeping on it for a night or two before filling in in pen.

Please do not be tempted to feel apologetic in any way; this is a money pot you have contributed to all your working life.

I don’t know if these forms have changed over the years but in the past I filled in these forms for my next door neighbour and my father. There was no trouble in either case but they were both in their eighties.

Thank you all for the added pointers! Esmay can I ask whether your claim was successful when you completed the forms yourself please?
Charliegirl5 you have given me lots to consider there - really helpful.
The idea of making a draft is a good one too and it's reassuring to hear that some of you have completed the forms with success for others.

I applied attendance allowance for my elderly husband and it was approved within a week. I spent 2 weeks online on and off trying to figure out how to fill the form.

He has problems with balance, so I included letter from a consultant, result of hearing tests from the hospital and any letters related to hospital admissions as medical evidence. Do not worry about the dates.

If you have problems with your wrists, then at the top of my head, you will need help with:-

Opening tinned food
Chop vegetables
Put casserole dish in the oven
Carry food and drink
Make bed
Put clothes on the line
Adjust shower control
Getting in and out of bath
Showering
Type emails and write checks
Adjust seat belt in car
Getting up and down stairs etc., etc.,

You need to spelt out the help you need to that degree in the form,

Don’t downplay your illness, don’t use the word ‘sometimes’ but use the word 'always'.

Best of luck.

You could add recent examples of when you tried to do something and found you needed help.
By the way, it is about personal care, not housework, shopping or gardening, but there is nothing to stop you using the money on anything you like.

Starof1972 i worked for Age Concern (as was) for 10 years as a volunteer Home Advisor, my main task being to visit people to fill in AA forms.

It is not difficult but it is like dancing a minuet, you need to get the step right.

Here is a link to a very helpful site www.agespace.org/finance/funded-care/guide-to-successful-completing-attendance-allowance-forms who ake very clearly many of the points I would make

Describe the help you NEED, as well as the help you get.

Compare how you are now with what a normal person does.
I would ask people of they could get in and out of bed without a problem. 9 times out of 10 people would say 'Yes' and I would then say, 'So you jump out of bed like a 20 year old?' To which the reply would be, well I find it difficult to sit up and then I need to sit in bed for 10 minutes to get my breath back, and when I do get out of bed, I have a chair by the bed to sit on, because I am so breathless, but I do not have any difficulty getting up. (!).

Take every opportunity to constantly remind them of your needs and their cause, the more repetition the better.

If you would like to PM about anything on the form, please do.