PIP Claim Home Visit

Absolutely terrified! My wife has Early on-set alzheimers. She is 54. She was receiving DLA higher rate for care and mobility but recently had to claim PIP. An ATOS 'health care professional' is coming to visit at home on Thursday. I have no idea what to expect. She has good and bad days- also really terrible days!! She also has Fibromyalgia with over-lapping ME, and vision/ co-ordination difficulties following a stroke a few years ago. Does anyone have any idea what we can expect on Thursday?
Many thanks for any advice

Hello julidebs

Sorry you are having so many bad things to deal with; it must be very difficult for you.

A great many people who have dealt with a home assessment have said that the experience was not as bad as they expected; assessors are all different but generally they are there to do a job and are professional and in many cases quite human! Hopefully you will only have experience of the nicer kind.

As far as the visit itself is concerned, be prepared for the assessor to arrive earlier than his/her appointment time; this seems to be quite a common tactic, so don't be thrown by it. As for your wife's behaviour on the day, well, there is nothing you can do to change it ; you will have explained on your application form that she has good and bad and awful days so the assessor should be prepared for this. Don't expect the assessor to have all your wife's details to hand, and don't expect him/her to be aware of your wife's health issues. I imagine her problems will be self-evident.

Try to refresh your memory of what you actually said on the application form so that you reinforce everything you claimed was a problem for your wife; only answer questions that you are asked - don't go offering loads of information that you haven't already provided on the application form - it probably won't be accepted. Finally, if the assessor asks your wife to perform tasks that you know will be hurtful to her physically, or emotionally unsettling, then explain this to the assessor and excuse your wife from performing these tasks.

Other members might offer more suggestions as to how you should behave; hopefully your appointment will not be as unpleasant as you expect. Good luck you and your wife

I had a home visit,which hadn't been requested by myself or my doctor.The nurse thst came out to me was very understanding and was here over an hour listening to what I had to say.
I kept moving about in my chair due to mobility problems and pain.

I expected the nurse would want to see round the house for the adaptations I had had done to help me.She did not.She was typing away on her computer most of the time.

I was worn out after she left and needed to rest for a couple of days.

However I waited a month and got the results back I had been awarded PIP for ten years at high rate
Am grateful i had an understanding nurse who really did listen
.Good Luck. and try not to worry.