Mum and I will starve without carer payment
A man denied carers’ allowance claims he will starve in a matter of weeks.
Angus Mackintosh, 50, was forced to give up work eight years ago to care for his mum Olivia.
The former Merchant Navy chief officer claims the 82- yearold had required 200 ambulances in just over two years.
But Angus says he was denied carers allowancefor over eight years because Olivia’s GP refused to acknowledge her illness.
Then a year ago she was finally diagnosed as having vascular dementia. But Angus claims he has still not received a penny due to difficulties securing his mum’s guardanship.
Angus told the Post : “I’m desperate and exhausted.
“I have no idea if I’m to be paid carers allowance. If nothing arrives shortly we will begin to starve in about three to four weeks. For at least my mother’s adult life she’s had what a psychiatric nurse described as developmental issues.
“To a certain extent it’s the old joke ‘ I’m not mad It’s everyone else’. She does whatever she wants, when she wants. She ran into another car a few years ago and eventually lost her licence.
“She T- boned him but still tried to insist it was his fault.
“For well over 10 years we’ve been trying to get something about her condition but, despite the huge amount of evidence, nothing has happened.
“But almost everyone can see that she needs help. And she has required an ambulance nearly 200 in just over two years.”
After years of tireless battling Oliviawas finally diagnosed with vascular dementia. But Angus insisted her condition hasn’t worsened since before she was diagnosed. Just weeks before the illness was finally acknowledged, Angus says the GPs scored Olivia the highest possible marks for mobility and cognition.
He said: “In the middle of last year I spoke to a nurse in Crosshouse Hospital.
“This time, within two days, my mother was transferred to Ayr, declared non- competent and I was told that she was in such a bad way that they were going to put her straight into a nursing home and confiscate all her assets. Now all these people are writing this off as a vascular dementia that has just appeared all of a sudden. It’s not.
“Even the GPs have agreed, even though she went for a day of tests four weeks before and they told social workers that she scored the highest possible score for mobility and congition. But they knew fine well she was completely out of her mind and couldn’t even walk 10 yards without assistance. Now because I’ve not yet been able to claim guardianship neither me or my mum can even access her own account to be able to pay things like food. I have been living here full- time as a nurse for eight years. In all that time I had no financial assistance. Now I have no savings left and no income. I have about £ 200 in the bank and that’s it. I have no other assets, no other income — if nothing comes in soon we will starve.”
Angus says he has made several formal complaints to NHS Ayshire and Arran over the years.
But a spokesman said: “GPs are independent contractors, providing healthcare on behalf of NHS Ayrshire and Arran within local communities. Anyone who is unhappy with the care provided to them by their GP should make a formal complaint to the practice manager at the surgery. People are also able make a formal complaint to NHS Ayrshire and Arran if they wish.
“If a person is unhappy with the response to their complaint they are provided with the option of complaining to the public services ombudsman which carries out independent investigations. We are sorry that this individual feels their relative did not receive the appropriate diagnosis.
“We would encourage them to contact us direct to allow us to investigate their concerns.”
I have about £ 200 in the bank and that’s it.
If nothing comes in soon we will starve.