Well I have finally been made redundant as I cannot do my job (forget important stuff all the time) and I am stepping into the precarious world of DSS claims.
I am just asking if anyone can give me some general guidelines re making a claim for benefit. I am quite concerned about this process as I read posts on this site and most people seem to struggle with monetary support from this agency. I will be trying to claim disability as I know that I am now not the most reliable potential employee due to my tiredness and lack of recollection etc etc- I do not know if I stand even a small chance of qualifying.
Clare
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CH56Twin
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In my experience, it seems to be the physical aspect that seems to carry a lot of weight. And the key thing to remember is that you cant do things repeateadly.
Yes you can walk 50 yds but not repeatedly, yes you can climb a flight of stairs but not repeatedly, you can pick up a jug of water they dont care if you then spill it while movibg it. You get my drift.
Always give them worst case scenario, this goes against the grain because we always want to appear as well as we can be. Not being able to hold down your last job must help, dont play your problems down, show it like it is.
Thank you for your reply Janet. Your information is most useful. You are quite right when you say worst case scenario goes against the grain but I am going to practise with family members to be honest and say it like it is. Clare x
Ditto all that Janet has said ; can't stress enough that being at death's door' doesn't even raise an eyebrow. You'll get there Clare but it's a long process for most people these days so you might have to go through some disappointments & appeals. Remember that Headway/CAB or Welfare Rights can help with form filling and general guidance. Best wishes, Cat x
Hi Clare, Sorry to hear you have been made redundant. Have you had confirmation in writing that it was due to your inability to do the job through memory loss or have you guessed that this is the reason? It is important for your own motivation to thoroughly understand why you were not right for that particular company so you can adapt your CV and apply to other companies that do need your skill set. For instance, you have not forgotten how to string a sentence in fluent English together. This is a skill!
Redundancy is part of this unsettling epoch where high street is challenged to deliver at Amazon type costs. Also Brexit is impacting employers hiring activities as seen over the last 4 months by recruitment agencies.
Secondly, have you explored nootropics which can help with gaining back memory? I have had great success with magnesium L threonate which can penetrate the brain for cognitive ability. Also sulbutiamine (vit B1) penetrates the brain to impact dopamine, choline and enhance memory. Just started these but I have to say, I'm as bright as a button!
Janet, so pleased to read you have been helped by nootropics too. Once you have finished your CoQ10, after researching you may like to replace your current ubiquinone with ubiquinol, the other less well known form. The latter offers a more bioavailable form for cellular energy.
Not tried Alpha Lipoic or carnitine but have read good things. I think with these things, its a case of research and go with the one most aligned to your body system current state, hereditary weaknesses and past ailments. Bespoke genomic medicine is the future as stated by the chairman of NHS England last night at the Royal college of Physicians event.
Re Modafinil, I used 5HTP before bed when I had trouble sleeping which also enhances dopamine production and is not on prescription.
Do let me know how you get on if you try the above.
There was a time when I ate artichokes 3-4 times per week, and I mean for a few months! I'd have them as a snack on their own instead of fruit, or in a salad, or thrown in with cooked pasta/rice. I couldn't get enough. Now I see artichoke extract can be used for memory enhancement and to generate neurons!
Hi again, ive not felt the need for 5HTP but my 2 youngest 28 and 22 sometimes take this to help with stress, anxiety and mild depression. They find ot aids sleep too .
Always a minefield of info, thanks RecoveringH. Where did you order sulbutiamine from? I can only find it available on american websites. I'm ordering magnesium L threonate from iHerb.com, is that where you ordered yours?
Hi Swedishblue, I ordered the magnesium threonate in the form of "MagEnhance" from Amazon listed currently for £20. See the reviews. See their graph in the pictures of the product label on Amazon where they show saturation after 30 days. I took one per day and stopped after 30 days. They recommend moving up to 2 per day. I have a low risk appetite so proceed with caution. Will do another round as needed in future.
Re: sulbutiamine, I ordered from Thoughtfoods in Cambridge UK. I would add that the reviews for this company are at both ends of the satisfaction spectrum. It wasn't cheap and it is not recommended for continuous every day use. For those who require a central nervous system boost post viral, this form of vit B1 is recommended by research.
For chronic fatigue and energy, benfotiamine (found on Amazon) may be a better form of vit B1. I recommend doing thorough research including reviewing human trials and findings before proceeding.
With all these things, they make small chemical adjustments in hard to reach places and once an outcome is achieved like clarity or memory, dosage should be stopped to see how the body copes. Then start again. This is my approach anyhow which works for me and my risk appetite.
Crucially the feedback loop
I use my ability to complete Sudoku's as a form of test for my daily memory and cognitive capacity along with some games on the website lumosity dot com. These tests show me if something works, or highlight the area of brain which is changing. I don't get headaches nowadays so it is harder to judge brain function! I'm also running again which speeds up healing and detox in the body.
Some god advice from Janet regarding symptoms and being honest.
It sounds like you'll be claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA), this in old money was called Sickness Benefit.
Part of the claims process involves the completion of a questionnaire concerning your difficulties (form ESA50), you need to get help from an agency such as CAB. Whilst this is not absolutely essential it's extremely beneficial to get the foundations right, especially if your claim is not successful immediately.
Thank you Sealiphone for your very sound advice. Have been in touch with Age UK this morning and now waiting for a t/c back from them. Apparently they will fill the form in with me ensuring I don't unwittingly shoot myself in the foot! Couldn't agree with you more regarding foundations. Once again many thanks for your help and support. Clare
Guess that is a problem for tomorrow. I have always thought that this process is not strait forward. Your info is very useful as it stops any surprises. I was not aware that ESA entitlement and redundancy do not quite go hand in hand. Teatime now so off to nosh. Hope you have a good evening. I will probably report back at some point in time and let you know how I get on - my head is hurting!!!!! Clare
A Redundancy payment is treated as capital for benefits purposes so no effect on Contribution Based ESA and £16,000 capital would mean Income based ESA not possible.
Definately agree with Janets first reply. In my last 3/4 years experience of ESA/PIP-it seems really physical based and what u can do with PIP(a difficult thing to gauge what not to say sometimes!),as for ESA they seem more MH-as i don't really get much physical symptoms,i refuse ALL the physical bits of medical,so they can't base it on their version of MH(temporary,back to work in days!).
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