Can my husband claim PIP

Thank you so much, I will call them tomorrow.

Thank you so much for getting back to me, I would appreciate any help you could give me, my husband became ill a while ago but he has been getting worse over the last few months,he has tennis elbow in both arms, he gets quite a lot of pain in both elbows, he also has arthritis in both of his feet and in his thumb going into his wrist, he has back pain which we think he did at work in a factory by lifting heavy items. About six months ago his eyes started to burn and he was feeling very low and everything got to much for him, so he went to the doctors and was told he had depression and was stressed and he was having a break down, he is always tired, he gets up at 7am he then has to lay down at about 11am again at 4pm and sometimes at 8 pm, his arms have been causing him a lot more pain than usual, so he went to see the doctor and the doctor sent him for urgent bloods, he sent him for an MRI scan on his neck and back, which he had today because they had a cancellation, he is waiting to have a nerve test on both arms. He has weakness, numbness, pin and needles and burning sensation in his arms, he has trouble doing up any buttons, undoing milk cartons and jars and things like that, he has a shower instead of a bath because if he were to have a bath he would have trouble getting back out, he walks both of our dogs which he could do with ease last year but now he is having trouble doing it. The medication he is on now are naproxen, sertraline, and pregabalin. One last question if you do not mind I get DLA because I have FM, ME, three bulging disc in my back and the rest of my disc are going solid, I also have bad IBS, I have a lot of migraines, I have depression and I have problems with my knees. Because I get DLA will this affect my husband getting It, my DLA does not run out until next year but I am scared when I have to have the review because I can not bear to be touched because it hurts to much, is there anything I can do. Sorry for such a long reply. Bridget

Hi Bridget,

Ask your doctor if they contact District Nurses regarding Hospital Beds (if needed), your doctor will probably say you will need an Occupational Therapist for anything else.

Considering everything you have listed I would suggest you contact your local council, and ask to be put through to the Adult Care Team, then once you get this far ask for a Review by an Occupational Therapist, they have teams, so you will be allocated one for your case. They will phone you and arrange an appointment to come to your property.

I would also contact your Doctor, if you or your husband are having problems getting up into the sitting position on a normal bed. I have swollen legs, ankles and feet, hence getting out bed became a nightmare for me. My doctor contacted the District Nurses and arranged an Hospital Bed to be delivered, its very similar to the hospital ones but the mattress massages you, so you do not get bed sores, etc. It comes with a remote and plugs in to the electric, it has been a big help to me, and my wife no longer has to strain to pull me up. It took me awhile to get used to, but just having it, and not having to strain or hurt myself or wife was a relief.

An Occuptaional Therapist Review, is a person that will look at how you are currently coping and make suggestions, these can include alterations to the property, inside or outside, rails to be attached to walls, if you have stairs they may suggest a Stair Lift to make life easier. You said your husband would have problems with having a bath so he prefers a shower. Although a shower is clean, a bath would be better if you have muscle problems in your legs like I have. To combat this problem, an electric bath chair was installed, this allows me to slide onto a plastic panel which is level with the top of the bath, you can then turn round on the middle plastic section and you have a remote control that lowers you in to the bath. Once you have finished you just press the UP button to raise the seat and it can raise and lower up to a person of 27 stone if need be. This is what they quote.

Walking aids can be supplied by the OT, and they will show you what would be suitable for you. Everything above is either done on a grant directly from the OT or via a DFG Disability Funding Grant (Limit of £25,000 per annum per property). This is a grant paid by the council, and any major alterations require permission with your landlord if you are with a rented property or housing association. Private homes have different rules, but still may require planning permission, but this is all done for you.

I would hold off until the diagnosis has been confirm with your husband though, this will give you a better chance of obtaining various grants. There are others, but the ones I have mentioned are the main ones.

As for your DLA, this will depend on what rates you are on and which components, some couples do claim both - but obviously, the care component might be lowered or removed completely on the one doing the most caring during a week.

Regards,

Les.

 

Hi Bridget,

You stated you cannot bear to be touched is this because you have swollen limbs, it is usually a sign of bad circulation, etc.