Hello,

In late 2023, my grandma Ann received the diagnosis of small-cell lung cancer. She went through her radio and chemo therapy treatments, however in late 2024 she began showing signs of dementia, however these signs weren't aligning with the progression rates you often see in those who suffer with this, but rather brain cancer, we suspect this given basic biology and science however we are waiting on results. Please note I am writing this during an ongoing situation.

I am starting this petition because of the situation surrounding my grandma's cancer. My grandma lives at home with her 47 year old son Paul, (my uncle) who for his entire life has had only-child-syndrome. Whilst that sounds hostile, it is the blatant truth. He has managed to single-handedly drive a wedge between my grandma and her three daughters, he has caused problems between her and my granddad which caused them to be separated, and his way in doing this is by making up lies, gas lighting, manipulating and everything in-between to get his own way. He is controlling, extremely possessive and abusive in every aspect. 

After doing some digging, we have uncovered many things he has been meticulously doing:

• He has been isolating my grandma by making her move to North Hull and add himself to a tenancy agreement which has a mandatory 12 month inhabitant agreement, so that when she passes on inevitably given her rapid decline due to the lack of care she's receiving and the level of neglect he's ensuing upon her, the tenancy will go down to him. This comes to no surprise when you find out he has never held down a single job in his life so he relies upon his mum to provide him with a house, a bank account, as he refuses to take any responsibility, even personal ones.
•  He has been receiving carers allowance which requires a 35 hour of caregiving to those who are disabled, comatose or both, this man does not (based on witnesses) leave his room at all during the day, even to look after his mum with the basics - such as making sure she has taken her medication - we are relying on others to make sure she has. Other things that any normal carer would do such as make sure she's eaten and drank something, everything that requires basic care, he has not shown any incentive or instinct to help her, making her condition worsen.
• He has sent volatile messages to family members telling them to stay away when they were merely just visiting her to check if she was okay and also made death threats to family members.  
• This is just some of the few things that he has done recently, a simple background check will tell you all you need to know to fill in the gaps of who he is as a person overall.

My grandma has been rendered to her childlike state, she doesn't know what day of the week it is, she doesn't know how to make a cup of tea, she can't construct a simple sentence. She has been left in his care due to the police delaying a basic welfare check on her, meaning no report can be made to the social services. We haven't been given a time-frame for a basic check, and there's no guarantee the outcome will be what we desire given how little time we feel we have left, despite knowing what we know, meaning she is left at the hands of my uncle. 

I'm making this petition today because my family and I want change. Whilst this is an ongoing issue, there are probably thousands of other families out there in the same position as us given the lack of safeguarding in place for those out there who are vulnerable and may be under the tyranny of abusive, narcissistic 'carers'. The fact that the DWP themselves have admitted to my mum over the phone that they don't do DBS checks on those who apply for carers allowance, is insane. To think that the likes of Rose West or Myra Hindley could be out there getting paid to basically abuse and neglect someone who may have the same problems that my grandma has, needs to change. It is inviting more issues, it's allowing more abuse to take place, this should not still be happening in 2025.

Additionally I want to add research that has been done by WHO to back up my claims. Taken from an article published on the 15th July 2024:

• Around 1 in 6 people 60 years and older experienced some form of abuse in community settings during the past year.
• Rates of abuse of older people are high in institutions such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities, with 2 in 3 staff reporting that they have committed abuse in the past year.
  Rates of abuse of older people have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Abuse of older people can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences.
  Abuse of older people is predicted to increase as many countries are experiencing rapidly ageing populations.
• The global population of people aged 60 years and older will more than double, from 900 million in 2015 to about 2 billion in 2050.

That is known cases, now put that into perspective for those cases that have not been reported and those who have gotten away with it, are continuing to do it, and those who have not been checked and are claiming money from the government under being a ‘carer’.

Of course carers allowance isn’t just for the elderly but can be paid to those who may be caring for children that have disabilities or adults who are incapacitated mentally or physically. People who are classed as vulnerable and defenceless. If it doesn’t ring alarm bells that anyone could be claiming money from the government to stay at home and potentially abuse someone who may be in a position where they’re restricted and may not be able to ask for help, I don’t know what will. 

However taken from the Gov.uk site itself:

• Research on protection of disabled children indicates that they are more at risk of being abused than non-disabled children. In fact, it is estimated that disabled children are over 3 times more likely to be abused or neglected than non-disabled children. This analysis of the risk to disabled children covered a wide range of types of disability, including physical and sensory impairments, mental illness, mental or intellectual impairments and long-term health problems.

If the government is aware that disabled children are more likely to be abused, why are they making carers allowance so accessable with no background checks? Allowing possible predators and past child abusers to gain access to children and allowing the chance for them to be getting paid, too? Considering they don’t need background checks to be considered a ‘carer’. Make it make sense.

I just want to ask the current prime minister:

• Why has this never been looked into?
• Why is welfare from the government so easy to access, especially one like this?
• What can he do to make sure the elderly and the vulnerable are more protected?

It goes without saying that this benefit should not be as easily accessable as that is inviting these kind of things to happen.

If you have made it this far I urge you to imagine being in this position and it being one of your family members. Whilst it may not save my own grandparents from this, I pray and I hope that the government see this and can save more people from experiencing this in the future.

Thank you.

I also want to add on that I do believe in rehabilitation and don’t believe every single person that has ever committed a crime is irredeemable. I believe more monitoring and background checks need to be done as this is clear evidence that there still isn’t enough protection for those who are elderly and things like this shouldn’t be happening.