need advice about benefits but do not have loads of details

[bednobs]

hiya, there is a man who lives near me that hasn't been very well at all and i've been trying to help by doing various things like take him shopping and take him to the gp. He is unwell so is not working (and hasn't for some time and also wouldn't be able to at the moment) he tells me he gets "income support allowance" at about 65 per week (i don't know if he means esa or is) He gets council tax benefit which reduces his ct to about a fiver a month.
He told me this morning that i wouldn't have to take him shopping because he didn't have any money. I really don't want to set a precedent by buying him food or giving him money, because it's going to be the same next week and the week after and the week after that, and i really can't afford to support another adult. Also, i have pointed him in the direction of cab to sort things out, but he hasn't done anything about it, and in a way i feel unwilling to help someone who is unwilling to help themselves. His illness is alcoholism, and he also has no motivation to do anything to stop. He is still paying for prescriptions etc.
My question is, do any other benefits he might be entitled to spring to mind? He is a single man, no kids and owns his house. He is a long way off retirement

[ummmm]

You can can extra allowance if you're an addict/dependent. I'm not sure what it's called though. Obviously the first port of call will be the GP.

[rowanwitch]

Ask for a home visit from a benefits adviser and try to be there with him they can be contacted via the local benefits office/jobcentre plus

they might persuade him to come to the office but its better if they see how he is living

[bednobs]

he has been seeing the GP. I find it very difficult to know how much to "interfere" because i don't understand addiction at all, and whoile the nurse in me wants to help him and sort him out, the other bit of me feels like saying "if you didn't buy beer and fags, you could afford food you fool"

[woofgang]

Here comes the tough answer. If he doesn't want to get better then you are peeing in the wind. I am not saying don't do anything to help, but the likelihood is that if he gets more benefits they will go on booze and fags. He has to want to change and while he can't then there is nothing that you or anyone else can do.....sorry.

[ummmm]

How dependent is he? How much is he drinking?

The thing with alcohol and drugs is if you suddenly stop it can be quite dangerous. That's why they get the benefit...but I presume it's in conjunction with some sort of treatment. Or at least agreeing to treatment...

[bednobs]

i agree that tough is probably the way to go. Having never claimed benefits, i can't understand how 65 ish quid a week is enough to live on, especially in winter though. isn't there some sort of minimum income guarantee?

[ummmm]

Yep. That's the amount the government say an adult can live on. So, that's the minimum.

[bednobs]

oh dear. The other thing i am mindful od is that i don't want to wake up to the police knocking on the door saying they found his body being eaten by his dog and it'd been lying there for a few weeks!

[ummmm]

How old is he bednobs?

[bednobs]

early 50's. i don't know how much he drinks but he is shaky, agoraphobic and smelly

[ummmm]

Bless him...

I suppose it doesn't matter how much he's drinking. People deal with it differently.

I have known quite a few alcoholics in my time....it's a lonely existence.

[ladybirder]

I'm worried about his dog:-(

[bednobs]

he is very lonely, neglecting himself etc. i have already been sucked into getting up early every saturday to take him shopping and although he is my friend, i don't want to "enable" him

[ummmm]

You're not enabling him. He'd do it anyway...

At least you're making sure he actually gets food.

[hc4361]

There is no such thing as 'registered disabled' any more.

He should apply for DLA and be prepared to embark on any recovery programmes he is recommended for.

[bednobs]

the problem with DLA is that 1) he can walk and 2) he has the physical ability to care for himself - he just doesn't

[ummmm]

That would be because of his addiction. That's why it's treated as a disability.