Who lives in a care home like this?

I've been spending some time wondering why I haven't written very much on the disability rights front and more importantly about the Government's proposed changes and cuts to disability benefits. To be honest I think it's because I've felt utterly devastated by the proposals. But maybe that is what some in the government want, and many of their policies seem to be framed in a way which endorses the view of disabled people as passive recipients of care, benefits and help from the "Big Society." I don't want to fall into that trap. It's not quite that simple; that isn't the full picture because some in the Government are keen on personalisation and disabled people being at the centre of decision making - how can they support both things?

I'm not an expert on social care policy and I'm not much of a campaigner either. There are so many others who do this kind of thing better than me. If you are interested in finding out more about social care policy, disability and politics then I recommend reading Rich Watts insightful, erudite and entertaining blog Arbitrary Constant

If you are interested in campaigning, disability and politics then you can't go wrong by checking out the Broken of Britain blog

But after delivering 2 days of training on personalisation in Essex I feel moved to write about just one aspect of the cuts and changes to disability benefits.

Removing the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance from those who are in residential care.

Well you can see how this idea came about can't you. Some bright spark said "So if someone's in a care home they aren't going to be travelling about much are they? They probably don't event know what day of the week it is poor things. It's a waste of money to pay for "mobility" if everything is brought to them in the care home."

It's the kind of "thought" anyone might have if they:

A, don't think about it for very long - and hey who wants to think about old and disabled people living in care homes that smell of pee and boiled cabbage

B, haven't ever had to live, work or spend any time in a residential care home

C, have a very narrow view of who lives in a care home

D, has no concept of human rights (see A and the not wanting to think about unpleasant things)

So if you want to be narrow minded, bigoted and only interested in making a quick buck then yes stopping the mobility component for disabled people in residential care might make some kind of sense.

Who lives in a home like this?

So who lives in residential care homes? Here is a sample of some of the kind of people who live in residential care:

• Armed forces personnel injured in Afganistan and Iraq - they live there whilst being rehabilitated but also because they can't find suitable accessible accommodation to move into or it takes 18 months to 2 years to sort out the funding and work to make their existing homes accessible
• Someone who has a spinal injury or brain injury from any kind of accident they may be in residential care for all the reasons given above
• People with complex impairments and health conditions such as MS, motor neuron disease - they may be living in residential care for the reasons above and because they need specialist medical services which aren't delivered in the community
• People with learning disabilities who may want to live independently but the support package needed to enable this is seen as "too difficult"
• Older people with complex impairments and conditions like Altzeimers

What is the mobility component of DLA used for?

On the training course I was just delivering, some real examples of how the mobility component of DLA is used by disabled people living in residential care were given. For example it pays for a taxi to take someone with their support worker to the shops, or to the cinema, or theatre, or to visit family rather than them always having to come to the care home.

So you ask why isn't the care home or social services providing this kind of service? It's just not the best way for social services or the residential homes to use their resources. They may employ a driver to organise trips away but they have to involve more than one person to make them efficient. So its expensive and it doesn't provide choice or control for the disabled person.

Having the mobility component of DLA allows the disabled person to have control over where they go, when and how.

If you were a young soldier back from Iraq with a spinal injury are you going to want to wait for the social services mini bus to take you to the pub once a week or would you rather go to the pub with your mates when they go?

What message does this send out?

What worries me most is that just the proposal to cut mobility allowance from disabled people in residential care sets a frightening example. It sends out a message that disabled people in residential homes are not part of the community like you or I. They are essentially defined by the home they are trapped in. They don't need to be part of the community, they are shut away and forgotten. They don't have the right to be mobile.

If you are able to I ask you to please use the tools on the Broken of Britain blog to contact your MP and respond to the consultation which closes on 14th February. It's not too late.

I chose the photo below which I took from my study window just before I started writing this, because I think it's both bleak and hopeful.