Advice Re; benefits and help for elderly please

My father suffers with Parkinsons disease and is getting quite bad now and can no longer use a knife and fork and has to drink from a beaker or through a straw. He also has Emphysma (sp) and heart disease and has had a couple of heart attacks.
My mother does not have good health now either and is really struggling to care for my father and manage everything. She can't drive and has to walk everywhere, but my father does not like being left and my mother gets very breathless trying to walk far and has had black outs. She also has blood pressure and balance problems.
They live in thier own bungalow and my dad has a very small private pension, but it is very small.
I need to find out if they are entitled to any help in anyway with anything to make thier life a little easier to cope with.
I know also my dad because of all the drugs he is on really feels the cold but they can't afford to heat the bungalow that well and mum is really worried how they are going to manage this winter to keep warm. They are very proud though and won't ask for help themselves, so i need to know what sort of help I could try and seek out for them in the way of practical and maybe financial.
I was also wondering if they would be entitled to disability or a carers allowance as they could really do with someone in to help with the care, or a blue badge so occasionally I could drive to thiers and take them somewhere and be able to park close so they wouldn't have to walk too far.
If you can point me in the right direction and help me help them I would be really grateful, or just give me any tips.

Your mother will certainly be entitled to carer's allowance if she is his primary carer and you father will be entitled to attendance allowance presuming he's over 65. It's the elderly's version of DLA.
There is a website that can help to see what benefits they are entitled to:-
http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx

Also social services can assess them to see if the need appliances in the house. They did it for my mum and they fitted rails etc for free.
Also if they decide that they're entitled to DLA/ Attendance...a blue badge will follow and you can choose to have a mobility car if they're entitled to the mobility aspect of DLA which from what you're saying seems pretty cut and dried. It can be driven by someone else on behalf of them.
Hope you manage to get them sorted. The website is a bit long winded but is good. xx

Hi bev,
Well it sounds like they might be both entitled to attendance allowance and mobilty. was your dad ever in the army?.

Have they tried to claim Pension Credit? They may be entitled to this if one of them is over 60, depending on what income/savings they have as it is means tested.

Also, shouldn't they get the "Winter Fuel payment" too if over 60?

I think the benefits website is www.directgov.co.uk

Thankyou that was really helpful, I am going to have a good look at that site and start making enquiries and contact Sockial services on Monday.
They have been adamant they are not entitled to anything because of my dads small pension.

When he was young he was in the RAF, but most of his working life he was in the police force and that is where he gets his small private pension from.
Again they say they won't get any benefits because of this pension, but they really do need serious help and I am sure they must be entitled to something.

I think because of this private pension they maybe wouldn't get pension credit and they have never had a winter fuel payment even though my dad is 81 and my mum 79, again they don't think they are entitled to it and that is why they are worrying themselves sick as how they are going to keep warm this winter with my dad feeling the cold so badly, they are too proud to ask though, and don't really understand it all, which is why I am going to go ahead and do it for them.

Attendance allowance is not means tested bev, it doesn't matter how much they have coming in.
As for the cold weather payment i'm sure they should be getting it, again that is not means tested.
If you contact the police pension office they should send out a welfare officer who will advice them and help fill out any forms they need to fill in.
Also if your mum and dad need a stair lift, bathroom aids, hand rails Etc, you will need to contact their GP office, who will in turn inform the occupational therpist to come out and do an assesment, the aids are mostly free.Also ask if they have a community matron, ours was a godsend, she or he has loads of information about what help is available.
You could also contact your local CAB office, they are always very busy, but very helpful.

I think all pensioners, regardless of income are entitled to the winter fuel payment. They should take what they can. Sounds like your father has paid in plenty during his career. Time to get a little something back I reckon!

Your mother should be getting carers allowance (it`s paid along with Pension Credit.
If they apply to Warm Front for a heating grant (assessment is free) they can also ask for a Benefit Check which looks into any way they can claim other benefits.
Age Concern in their area should have info on any local grants and services.

I got a lot of help and ideas form age concern I will look up their number for you later. They gave me some invaluable advice.

Also try Social Services as I am sure your mum will be entitled to help, also your dad may be entitled for Disability living allowance which will take into consideration your mums caring status. Mum had this years ago and although the booklet was a nightmare too fill out it has given her a lot of help and because she gets that she tends to get help more quickly form other areas too.