ESA Learning tasks vs PIP preparing food

Amonia wrote: Regarding being able to do something even though with problems. Lets say somebody believes they are sensitive to all major foods(due to mental impairment) and they only eat the same junk food every day(because all food is harmful) and once a day(to reduce the harm from the food. This person may have strange ideas and eating habits however they are still eating daily/surviving albeit in a weird and unhealthy way.

Prompting this person will get them to eat different food sometimes but majority of the time prompting will not help because they have fixed ideas about food.

My understanding is the pip is awarded on the basis of care/support needs. If prompting everyday will make the person eat better then a case for a support/carer can be made since support will change the condition. If prompting doesn't work yet the person is surviving(like I have said), obviously care will not make a difference so why would they be awarded higher points when care won't make a difference and they are managing to survive. would they even be awarded higher points in the above example?

Thanks

I can only refer you back to the issue of "reliability" and the examples I have included in previous posts, for a claimant to be considered as performing a task if they can do so reliably, if they can show that they cannot perform the task reliably then they should not be considered as being able to do it.

To try and add some points from your specific example.

Maybe the junk food does not offer a balanced diet which might cause further health issues. Is the claimant able to get the food at appropriate times, maybe they only go out once a day for it, or maybe not even every day. Perhaps they eat it cold, risking food poisoning,

Gordon

Amonia wrote: Please can you clarify what is needed in order to satisfy ESA activity 13(a) correctly.

It says "Cannot, due to impaired mental function, reliably initiate or complete at least 2 sequential personal actions."

Does this mean, in order to satisfy the descriptor, that the person must not be able to do two activities(all the time) which are straight after each other?
For example we wake then we shower. If someone has problems waking and showering everyday they will satisfy the descriptor.
However if they can't wake, but then can shower, but then cant dress properly then this would not satisfy the descriptor because although they cannot do two activities, the activities they can't do are not normally straight after each other?

Or does this descriptor mean, in order to get max points, they have to be mental to the point they dress before they wash etc. I think most people know the order of activities but cannot actually do the activities.

Is this about whether they can't do two sequential activities or is it about whether they do them in the wrong order. Please clarify.

thanks

This Descriptor is about Starting and Finishing Tasks, so you are being asked whether you can start a task when needed or do you need to be prompted to do so, if you can start it, can you complete it on your own, if you can complete one task can you do the same for a another related task.

The ESA Claim guide for Mental Health issues, does a far better job of explaining this and importantly what the guidance for this Descriptor is, but let me try and us a simple example, please do not take it as an example that specifically relates to this Descriptor.

Making a cup of tea requires a number of sequential actions to be done successfully, so first of all, do you need prompting to make a cup of tea in the first place, would you just go thirsty or just drink water if not prompted or because the task is too complicated. Would you fill the kettle but forget to turn it on, perhaps you turn it on but then forget to return to it when it boiled to pour the water into the cup, would you remember to put a tea bag in, what about milk, even if you remember to put the milk in would you have had the fore thought to make sure that you had some and that it was fresh.

I hope this explains it better.

Gordon