Hi, my name is juniperpuddle!

juniperpuddle
juniperpuddle Community member Posts: 3 Listener
edited May 2015 in Start here and say hello!
I live abroad and cannot physically do a lot to help my disabled mother, who is a single parent. I am looking for all sorts of help and advice for things I can do for her.

Comments

  • Debbie_Alumni
    Debbie_Alumni Community member Posts: 932 Empowering
    Hi Juniperpuddle,

    Welcome to the community.

    What sort of help and advice are you looking for? Is there anything I can help with?

  • juniperpuddle
    juniperpuddle Community member Posts: 3 Listener
    Hi Debbie, thanks for your message. Well, I'm not really sure where to start! Basically at the moment she is virtually house-bound as her home has a lot of stairs and she doesn't have a wheelchair. She'll be given a manual one, but she needs an electric one. She struggles to take care of a child alone. If there are any charities or organisations that can provide aid, practical or financial, or if you or anyone else has any tips on where I can get her help, it would be very much appreciated!
    Thanks
  • Debbie_Alumni
    Debbie_Alumni Community member Posts: 932 Empowering
    edited May 2015
    Hi Juniperpuddle,

    Sounds like there's a lot to get sorted! It must be difficult for you living so far away.
    Firstly is your mum in contact with Adult Social Care? They will be able to assess her needs and see if there is any support they can put in place to help her manage.
    There is a national charity called Disability, Pregnancy and Parenthood which offers information and advice for disabled parents. It might be worth having a look on the website to see if there is any information there that might be helpful.
    http://www.dppi.org.uk/
    You say that your mum is going to be given a manual wheelchair but that she needs an electric one. Is she currently in receipt of DLA high rate mobility or PIP enhanced mobility? If so, she could look at joining the Motability scheme. More information on the Motability website http://www.motability.co.uk/
    If Motability is not an option you could try and source charitable funding to help with the costs of a power chair. You can search for funding on www.turn2us.org.uk and you can look for funding for all sorts of things not just the power chair.
    Is your Mum getting all of the financial support she needs in the way of benefits? Turn2us also has a benefits calculator on their website and it's a handy way of checking entitlements and working out if there is anything she is missing out on.

    I'll leave it there for now so as not to overwhelm you with information. Please do let me know if this is helpful and if there is anything else I can help with.

    Best wishes
    Debbie
  • juniperpuddle
    juniperpuddle Community member Posts: 3 Listener
    Hi Debbie,
    Thank you so much for all of your advice! I'm still a little unsure of some aspects of my mum's situation, so I'll pass along your recommendations for her to look at, but I'm sure something will be of use. I really appreciate you spending the time explaining all this to me! Thanks again!
  • Debbie_Alumni
    Debbie_Alumni Community member Posts: 932 Empowering
    You're very welcome :)
    I look forward to speaking to you again at some point.

    Best wishes
    Debbie