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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends

People's stories

Aged 51-60

Interview 05

Interview 05

Age at Interview: 57
Sex: Male
Background: Part-time driver, married with two adult children. Ethnic background/nationality: White British.

Brief outline:In 2003 his wife was involved in an accident in the home. He stayed at the hospital for two weeks while his wife was in the first ICU.

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Trying to get benefits for his wife was difficult and degrading and they were given very little help or information.
Print Husband: No, no, had no information. Nobody gave us anything. I had to find it out all myself. To get disability living allowance, that was a nightmare for her. It's so degrading the questions they were asking and the forms you have to fill in. It was unbelievable. It's like a thick book you have to fill in. Did you have anyone you could ask questions about that or could you ask your GP at all or anyone? Husband: Well the GP had to fill a form in for it because I believe the people sent it to the GP for information from him. But as regards filling in the form, no didn't have any help at all. I suppose we could have rung up the DLA people up and asked them. Wife: Why we applied for the blue badge. Husband: When I applied for the disabled badge, the blue badge scheme. For your wife? Husband: For the car. They said I couldn't have it because she wasn't getting disability, she wasn't getting disability allowance. And it's only with disability allowance…? Husband: Yeah, yeah. Wife: Because I broke my back, their opition was that they think it's going to heal. Yeah Husband: Yes that's right because they think that she's broken her back they would, they think it's going to heal. And that was a real, that was a struggle. We got, it got quite heated when we were filling the forms in. And I was getting cross with her. When the doctor had to come to visit her and when he was asking the questions I was getting quite angry. And the thing is he didn't know. Because when we sent the form in, we filled it all in and told them about her back and everything and when he came here he didn't know about her broken back.

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