Pensioner loses free care after wife dies

Apr 11 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

A FAMILY has organised a rota system to look after their elderly grandfather after his home care was ended following the death of his wife.

Relatives have cancelled ex-miner Samuel Goodwin’s home care package with Northumberland County Council in protest at what they say is the unfair way in which he has been treated by the system.

Now his daughter, Kathleen Hattle, 52, her husband Derek, 58, and their children Gemma, 26, Trina, 24, and Neil, 23, are taking it in turns to visit the 74-year-old stroke victim in his home and give him the help and support he needs.

They have decided to go it alone after Mr Goodwin, of Pont Street in Ashington, was re-assessed by social services officials following the death of his wife, Margaret, and told he has to pay more than £40 a week for his council-provided home care.

Before Mrs Goodwin passed away in January, the couple received a free service which involved a carer coming twice a day to help get Mr Goodwin up and put him to bed at night. At the time they were getting £85 a week in pension credit and Mrs Goodwin got a mobility allowance.

Now, despite losing virtually all of that income, Mr Goodwin has been told he has to pay £41.95 a week for home care.

He receives his state and pit pension and could afford to pay the charge, but Mrs Hattle, who lives in Holmwood, Ashington, has cancelled the service in protest at the way he has been treated.

Mrs Hattle, who works in a betting office, said: “To me the whole system is crazy and doesn’t make any sense. He has lost his pension credit because his income is above the limit and there is no mobility allowance coming in now. Despite losing all this money and now being on his own, he has to pay for home care which was free while my mother was alive.

“Surely an elderly person needs more help and support when their partner dies, not less? We don’t want to put my father in a home but I am not happy about how the system works against him, so we have set up our own rota system to look after him.

“It is not ideal, because although my husband is off sick following an accident, myself and the children all work. But I don’t see why my father should now have to pay for this service when he is on his own.” A county council spokeswoman said: “We cannot comment specifically on the financial circumstances of individual people who use our services. However, we can say that in general there is an issue with how national rules on charging for home care affects couples who receive disability benefits.

“The effect is that a service user who is part of a couple often does not have to pay charges, when a single person in similar circumstances receiving similar social security benefits would have to pay between £39 and £49 a week. We have raised this issue with the Department of Health.”