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Parkinsons and getting back into work.

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I have the annoying wobbly hand syndrome of Parkinsons. Medication also brings it's side effects. I'm 57. Having had a lengthy time off work my c.v is "non existent", and skills not current or relevant. I have difficulty in fine motor movements of my fingers which means at times i can't even sign my own name. From an employment point of view i could, in theory delete inputs of text with a single "wobble", i could cancel a phone call etc. orders could be lost...

 

Medication often makes me need the loo almost as soon as ive been.. especially in cold weather. My dilemma is WHO would employ someone like me, when there are more eligible and competent people on the job market? BUT.. i need a job, i need to earn some money to pay bills instead of burdening my fiancee with all the household expenditure...and i NEED to stop my brain turning to mush.

 

As far as benefits go.. i WAS on ESA but they say i'm fit for work, they don't seem to appreciate the difficulties involved in getting an employer to take a chance on someone who seemingly on paper wouldn't pull weight... yet the JSA say " i can't believe they've sent you to us!

 

As a result i'm not in receipt of ESA or JSA and therefor don't even qualify for council tax reduction.

 

So i am at a loss as which way to turn? If anyone has any advice or pointers i would really appreciate some help. Advice and comments from an employers perspective would also be a great help.

 

Many people with Parkinsons foresee a time when they have to think of scaling down their duties. i seem to be in a frame of mind to scale up.. get involved. If you can help in any way through advice or offer of a job , even on trial basis then it would be helpful to hear what you have to say. i guess i have very little confidence in what i can do these days. my I.T skills are outdated, my keyboard typing is frustrating, making learning online difficult. my forklift license has expired and driving skills are i guess not to be trusted.. or am i painting everything TOO bleak?

Edited by Cloudsailors

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You're not really selling yourself to us, are you? :hihi:

 

Start by listing the things you CAN do, think about your interests and what you LOVE to do. You don't want to settle for just anything to pay the bills, you want something that you are going to enjoy and find fulfilling. Are you a creative person? Could you teach yourself to be? Now sounds like the time to really take stock and decide what YOU want to be doing.

 

Also, do consider voluntary work in a field that might interest you, or just to keep the brain and social skills tip top. Getting out there doing something will increase your confidence and self-worth, and might just help you build links and get in the circle of 'being in the know' when opportunities do arise.

 

I'm sorry if I sound patronising. Kudos for your post though, it is actually a great first step. You can obviously write well, hold people's attention, and people take to you, or I wouldn't have bothered answering at all.

 

Wishing you the best of luck - and the motivation to help it along yourself even more.

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Many thanks for your reply Mr Luthor..:) and for taking the time to read my mumblings.

 

Not selling myself is exactly my problem, you're right but Parkinsons seems to have many offshoots and lack of confidence and yeh "moping around" seems to be a hurdle that the sufferer might put in place themselves.

 

As for listing what i can do or like doing.... well i use to paint.. oils... i cant do that anymore.. i use to fix cars on the drive-way till darkness fell.. i cant do that.. i like golf but my twitching now messes up my game, i did my nvq2 in I.T and was in the midst of nvq 3 telling the tutors how to transpose data in excel !! now i find simply typing is frustrating...The first time i used a micrometer i got the measurement exact, to 1000th of an inch to my employers astonishment and delight, as a forklift driver i loaded up the star vans with their papers .. now i'd be a liability, get the picture?

 

But there i go.. focussing on what i CANT do. i guess i'm hoping that someone, who can think clearly might have a better idea of what i may be able to do taking into account what my brain is capable of.. if that makes sense?

 

i can think, i've got technical capability, i've got organisational skills, i can be pedantic and scrupulous but who gets paid to think?

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Sorry I can't help you, but I just want to send my very best wishes to you.

Getting back into the work place is difficult enough without having a debilitating illness to cope with too. I admire your enthusiasm, and hope you soon find suitable employment. You deserve it and I wish you and your fiancee a very Merry Christmas/Happy New Year. :thumbsup:

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Sorry I can't help you, but I just want to send my very best wishes to you.

Getting back into the work place is difficult enough without having a debilitating illness to cope with too. I admire your enthusiasm, and hope you soon find suitable employment. You deserve it and I wish you and your fiancee a very Merry Christmas/Happy New Year. :thumbsup:

 

May Christmas be a joyful time and the new year bring peace, good health and happiness to you and those you hold dear. Thank you for your wishes.

 

God bless and keep you safe n well:)

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I don't know how long it took you but your posts are FAR easier to read than half the posts on here) but what about, and it's a bit left field, tutoring/teaching? Seems there's a fair bit of knowledge in there that's worth getting out! On a more basic level maybe somewhere like B&Q - a big firm is likely to takes its duty of care and duty to make "reasonable adjustments" for those with a disability. The fingers might not work how you want but you could potentially talk someone through something.

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I don't know how long it took you but your posts are FAR easier to read than half the posts on here) but what about, and it's a bit left field, tutoring/teaching? Seems there's a fair bit of knowledge in there that's worth getting out! On a more basic level maybe somewhere like B&Q - a big firm is likely to takes its duty of care and duty to make "reasonable adjustments" for those with a disability. The fingers might not work how you want but you could potentially talk someone through something.

 

Thanks for your input and suggestions, being able to source, understand and process info IS a skill.. the trick is finding a niche in the job market that would let me in.

 

A friend of mine use to work for the council and they offered him the job of going into vacant premises and judging what work needs to be done and assessing how long it might take in man-hours... i reckon i could do that but they don't offer those jobs to just anyone.. especially to someone who's been off the job market for some time. my friend had been the guy that emptied the properties so therefore he had the knowledge to fall back on.. so i've got a few ideas. i just don't see how, at my age it would be feasible to "train up" in an attempt to land that kind of job.

 

Yes. B&q and companies like them might be the place to look. i would expect that someone in a warehouse type of job who was pro-active and shone through, might just be given a chance to progress to a certain extent.

 

I'm not fussy.. i'm just self conscious i guess and the sooner i can overcome that, the better. There are no silver spoon jobs, we have to work long and hard for them.. i just need the ball at my feet to play the game. y' know?

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Hi Cloudsailors

 

I just wanted to say what an honest and brave post yours is.

 

It’s so very well written and made me stop and think.

 

I don’t think your post is negative at all - it’s truthful and says a lot about the person you are.

 

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2018!

 

Duckegg

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Hi Cloudsailors

 

I just wanted to say what an honest and brave post yours is.

 

It’s so very well written and made me stop and think.

 

I don’t think your post is negative at all - it’s truthful and says a lot about the person you are.

 

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2018!

 

Duckegg

 

Hi Duckegg, thanks for your comments and for taking time to read between the lines. It can be difficult to convey how something like a tremor can cause such frustration and be so debilitating. Although, when you consider a lifetime of “fiddly bits” like painting and mending cars, playing darts and golf you can begin to see how such a seemingly insignificant tremor can be a life changing thing. In the modern era where smartphones and ipads are the norm even for toddlers, a tremor can soon make it seem like the world is passing you by. I know there are people who have lost limbs and are in employment. I guess they too have had to overcome that lack of confidence and the self consciousness and have learnt to adapt and still give their all. Amazing.. In my case I’m in the whirpool of confusion.. I’m fit for work said the ESA but we can’t with any conviction say what job you might be able to do where you don’t have to input text or sign a delivery note or make a phonecall. To that I say, you should see the sugar and coffee I waste trying to make a brew and shaking it all over the worktops.. Now I’m not saying I can’t do things, what I am saying is that doing things to within a set time level is something I just can’t promise.

 

Employers would have to see something worth taking a punt on.. and being open and honest, I guess, is the best card in my hand..

 

We all have our limits, our problems and worries. We all have loved ones that rely on us to be strong. Let’s hope the New Year brings us the strength to combat our troubles so that we in turn can advise and lend a hand to others.

 

May your Christmas bring happy memories old and new. God bless.:)

Edited by Cloudsailors

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When my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, never having been on any Benifit before,we found the Parkinson’s disease society very helpful, they sent a guy out who explained everything to us and he also filled in the paperwork on our behalf so try them.

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Hi Apple.. Thanks for your post. I was referred to Parkinsons uk and had a similar experience with them. They helped me through the frustration and hassle of filling out many many forms. I got to the state where I was fed up of repeating myself filling in the same information countless times and the wobbly hand would kick in and I’d just think sod it… and end up casting the forms to oneside ending up with a mountain of unanswered post and consequently getting nowhere, except deeper and deeper into the void.

 

Parkinsons uk sorted it all out for me for a time and got the wheels turning but like many unfunded organisations their resources and precious time are limited.

 

I find myself back at square one now, hundreds of pounds in debt, with no jsa and no esa and the dwp taking money from my PIP for “overpayments” which I believe to be their fault. My fiancee was ordered to attend a jsa interview with me cos it’s a joint claim, even though she’s working part time???.. she immediately felt the pressures and frustrations and left the jsa building in tears. Why should she have to sign on when she was in work?? But because she didn’t then my claim couldn’t be taken any further. It’s not like we would get any money from jsa. Her fluctuating hours of employ means on some weeks she earns “too much” for us to even qualify for council tax benefit.. yet her contracted hours are only 12 which on some weeks is a reality.. meaning she earns less than £100 .. yet the jsa rate for a couple is well over that.. IM just fed up of batting the ball and banging my head on the wall. I cant even afford my medication which I don’t get free anymore and I’d be damned if I’m fillin in another flippin form just to prove we’re BROKE.

 

Sorry for the rant peopes.

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Hi Cloudsailors,

 

I remember your post from the other thread. God only knows how many times I wanted to throw the towel in with JSA/ESA talking like utter morons. But who are you hurting by calling it a day? I think you know the answer!

 

You ARE entitled to help but they will not hand it you on a silver platter. You will have to repeat yourself over and over again both verbally and on forms. They WILL tell you that their clerical worker is right and all your doctors and health professionals are wrong.

 

After I was made redundant, I felt like an utter scrounger having earned my cash for 40 years. I was talking to one of my health professionals and she verbally gave me a kick up the arse. She explained in straight terms that I had paid in for years and through no fault of mine was in this situation. After nearly a year of repeating myself, medicals and constant form filling I won my appeals.

 

You need to push, and push a lot more than you have been doing. If they put hoops in front of you, jump through them (And they WILL have plenty of hoops!) but carry on building your evidence to prove them wrong.

 

Please don't feel like I'm giving you a verbal bashing as I'm not. I just know from experience that what you deserve isn't going to come to you easily. This might then give you breathing room to sort out which work would suit you best instead of worrying about bills and money in general.

 

Keep your chin up but dig in and fight for what's yours!

 

---------- Post added 10-01-2018 at 12:11 ----------

 

EDIT:

 

And don't apologise for the rant. You should be a fly on the wall in my place at times! Lets's just say I couldn't post 99% of the words on here ;)

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