Richard is the main carer for his wife, who has severe asthma and arthritis, and they have custody of their grandchild. When his wife was found fit for work, the couple had to make a joint claim for Jobseeker’s Allowance. Rick has been referred to the Work Programme, and has struggled to combine his job-seeking commitments with caring for his wife and grandchild. He missed two appointments because of medical emergencies, and their joint benefit was stopped for a month as a sanction. Rick says, “That £105 per week is our survival money. It’s cold, there’s no emotion involved in it. They don’t care how you’re going to survive. I’m not a thief, but if it comes down to survival, you start to think about doing things you wouldn’t normally do. I always try to look on the bright side of life and make the best of what I’ve got, and to be in a situation where I’m losing control of my marbles, it’s not something that I’m used to and it’s not something that I enjoy doing.”