Help and support
Ask the expert
Q
In terms of emotional support, everyone
reacts differently to bereavement, and there
is no right or wrong way to feel. If talking
about it, and about your wife, would be
helpful you might find these suggestions
useful:
• you could talk to family/friends who knew
your wife
What financial help is there
now my caring role has ended?
I was my wife’s carer for five years,
until she passed away last week. We had
been receiving help through the benefit
system, and now all of these benefits
will stop. I am wondering if there is any
financial help I might be entitled to, as
I’m not state pension age but don’t
feel able to return to work yet.
A
Jen from the
Adviceline says...
I am sorry to hear that your wife has
passed away. Losing someone can be
devastating, and if you were caring for that
person the loss can seem even greater.
In addition to exploring financial help,
I wanted to briefly cover emotional
support and practical matters following
bereavement. People have to deal with lots
of complex emotions and issues when the
person that they are caring for passes away
and the more information you have, the
easier you may find it to navigate the weeks
following the death.
22
• you could talk to other bereaved people
via the Carers UK forum:
carersuk.org/forum
• Cruse Bereavement Care is a charity
for bereaved people:
cruse.org.uk/crusescotland.org.uk
• your GP or carer’s organisation might
know of local bereavement support:
carersuk.org/localsupport
There are various practical matters that
need to be dealt with when someone dies.
There is lots of information on practical
matters in our bereavement section
carersuk.org/when-caring-ends.
In terms of your financial situation, any
benefits your wife was claiming will have
stopped now, however any benefits you are
claiming as a carer might run on for a while.
If you were receiving Carer’s Allowance
when your wife died, this should continue for
eight weeks following her death. As should
the carer premium within means-tested
benefits, if you were receiving it.
After these eight weeks you won’t be able
to claim benefits as a carer anymore. If you
are on a low income you might be able to
claim means-tested benefits like Jobseekers
Allowance, Employment and Support
Allowance or Universal Credit. The benefit
system is complicated, so it would be a good
idea to get a benefit check, to work out
whether there are other benefits you can
claim. The Carers UK Adviceline can carry out
benefit checks.
In addition to any means-tested benefits
you can claim, as it was your wife who died,
We’re here for you... Adviceline: 0808 808 7777