“My caseworker was brilliant; nothing was too much trouble, and they explained every step as we went through the forms. I would just like to thank TASC for the amazing work you do.”
Alexa, Emergency Medical Dispatcher, Yorkshire
Alexa’s husband had been diagnosed with a terminal illness that had a huge impact on his mental health and left him feeling suicidal. Unable to leave him on his own, Alexa struggled to cope with working a difficult job, caring for her husband, and ensuring he was safe while at work. Over time, the strain started to affect her own mental wellbeing too.
Alexa spoke with her local TASC volunteer who explained how we may be able to help and decided to get in touch. After applying for support, we arranged for Alexa to have an appointment with our in-house counsellor, David, to talk about what she was experiencing and identify the support she would need to feel better.
During their chat, Alexa shared that some of the pressures on her husband’s poor mental health were due to no longer being able to afford to pay for the activities he enjoyed as he was no longer working and the costs doubling as he now needed to be accompanied by someone.
To support Alexa, David referred her for six sessions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which helped her process the devastating affect her husband’s diagnosis had on their lives and the change in their roles.
David also introduced Alexa to our in-house Money Expert to see if anything could be done to support her finances. After an initial benefits check, our money advisor identified that Alexa would be eligible to receive Attendance Allowance and we supported her to complete all the relevant forms.
Within two months Alexa had been approved for support and she is now an extra £390 a month better off. This money has had a big impact on her husband’s mental health and quality of life as he can now do the regular activities he loves, and Alexa now uses this time to focus on her own wellbeing and recharge her batteries.
This is the true story of a TASC service user, but names have been changed to protect the individual’s identity.
Alexa said:
“My caseworker was brilliant; nothing was too much trouble, and they explained every step as we went through the forms. I would just like to thank TASC for the amazing work you do.”