carer's allowance

[bahaykubo]

Hi everyone, I am caring for my husband who got alzeimers/vascular dementia. I am also on a full time work. I am struggling to cope both, I don't really want to give up my work but at the same time I want my husband to stay at home as long as I can. My problem is, I want to have a long term carer's leave, am I entitled for carer's allowance while not on full time employment. My employer is willing to give me a long term leave but no pay.

[Bella395]

Eligibility for Carers Allowance is give here: gov.uk/carers-allowance

What do you mean by long term carer leave? How long do you envisage this will be? Carers Allowance will doubtless be very much less than you have been earning and it is taxable. Will this cause hardship? Also, if your husband dies or needs to go into a care facility you could be left with no income. Your employer might not be able to keep your job open for very long in which case you would need to think about getting back into the workplace. It can be very hard, especially if one has not been employed for some time.

Please think very, very carefully about giving up your job. Many people do this without thinking of the consequences and they come to regret it. I think it would be best to contact social services and ask for a carer’s assessment. You can then discuss the options. Carers.org would also be able to help.

[BUDGIEBURDEKIN]

Hi, my wife is my career as I too have vascular dementia, you can get 25% reduction in council tax. I if your hubby is on PIP ENHANCED rate I can’t see any reason not too, they ask if your his career for 35+ per week.

All the best, I’m sure some others who know the system inside out lol, these lovely people will explain the ins and outs.

[Hidden]

Hi bahaykubo,

First of all, I'd like to say "welcome" to this Care Community and I hope you'll find some information that'll be useful for you.

I agree with Bella395 that it's very important to think carefully about giving up work, or at least when to do that. Even if your employer is happy for you to take unpaid leave at present, attitudes to this can change, when you are in a situation with an unclear outcome. Unfortunately, the need to be a carer can go on for years, during which anything can happen which could leave you jobless. And as Bella395 points out, any allowances you might gain will probably be far less than you are earning. Financial stresses and strains could make your caring that much more stressful. So you might want to defer your decision until there is absolutely no alternative.

But do look at the website suggested and have a carer's assessment. That would assess your husband's current needs, and open up a pathway as to what might also be needed in future.

Very best wishes for a good outcome and positive decision on your best way forward.