'It wasn't realistic' Daughter appalled by pursuit of frail mother

Rose Chitseko's mother, who is 93 this month, was always meticulous about her money. As a child during the second world war, she learned to hold on to the pennies in her pocket. It was a trait she later held dear as a single mother with bills to pay.

- Josh Halliday

"She was the strong, proud woman who had looked after herself and me all her life and managed her finances," said Chitseko, 62. "It was a matter of pride that she kept on top of everything." 

Yet despite this lifelong commitment, Chitseko's mother, who has advanced Parkinson's and dementia, finds herself at the sharp end of the Department for Work and Pensions' "outrageous" welfare rules. The DWP is forcing the grandmother of four to pay back more than £7,000 - more than a third of her life savings - after she failed to notify it about a change in her circumstances five years ago when she was in the early stages of dementia and 88 years old.

The penalty stems from early 2019, when Chitseko started receiving £64.60 a week in carer's allowance to look after her mother, whom the Guardian is not naming, when she became unable to care for herself.

The DWP's rules state that the 92-year-old should have informed the department at this point that she was no longer eligible for the severe disability premium part of the pensions credit she received. Yet because of her illness, she did not do so.