Going Out descriptor question

Thanks Gary

We are looking at the Going Out issue again.

He certainly cannot plan and follow the route of a journey unaided reliably.

He does need support and prompting to be able to undertake journeys, but not all journeys, only unfamiliar ones where there's a likelihood of getting lost

He usually cannot plan the route of a journey (but familiar journeys he already knows the route, he might get disorientated at times but he doesn't have to plan the route because he knows the route. He cannot plan the route of an unfamiliar journey and I wonder if that is what this point is referring to? For reasons of spatial difficulties and inability to concentrate or focus or understand maps, or use a computer to look up train or bus times and an almost total avoidance of public transport anyway unless he's with someone, due to hearing impairment and feelings of anxiety and paranoia, general adhd issues with reading or understanding anything in map or written form. The only way he would 'plan' a journey is to ask someone if lost and then he would struggle to process what they are saying, he says they all speak too fast, he would struggle to hear and struggle to remember what they've said. On the occasions he's got lost he becomes overwhelmed, frantically asking lots of different people, unable to listen to their answers, he starts racing around, with the adhd he's incredibly frustrated if he cannot find what he wants immediately anyway and there's a tendency to expect things to be much simpler than they are so he gets very irate with everyone for not giving him a simple answer like 'turn right and you're there.' The result is racing around, getting very upset, maybe phoning friends in a terrible state saying he's suicidal. Obviously something inside him is stronger than all that and he's always eventually listened to someone on the phone, calmed down, and soon found a way, but he 'catastrophises' very quickly and hasn't got the spatial ability or memory to have an easy journey)

Cannot plan the route of an unfamiliar journey, etc. (for all the things said above, he cannot reliably do this and almost always doesn't undertake such journeys without someone going with him and certainly cannot plan them)

Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress (this is hard because he avoids many unfamiliar journeys or finds a way to have someone with him and someone plan it, but to say he cannot undertake any is not true. He has a lot of 'fight' in him and wants to be ok and wants to do things, so if he's got an interview or something he will attempt to do the journey alone if no one can help, but reliably that will lead to lateness, arriving at the interview in a very upset state, he's very honest with people so he tends to win them over on a personal level and they like him, but he won't get the position he wanted because of showing signs of not coping and arriving in a state and usually late after having been lost. And he will give them a long story about the whole thing even though its not appropriate. The overwhelming psychological distress bit sticks with me because that happens on the few occasions that he's attempted an unfamiliar journey, BUT, wording 'cannot undertake any journey', even if I think of 'reliably' is not true, because he can and does do familiar journeys)

Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey (He can follow the route of familiar journeys, say to his GP, the shops, etc but some familiar journeys he will still get in a state and get lost, but I think probably he won't qualify on this one)

Just wondering which one others think might apply to him, on the basis of this, I am finding this one hard and he is very anxious about having pip anyway, for a number of reasons and going through this form with him is very difficult.

Thanks Gary.

For anyone reading this (don't want you to be burdened with the question Gary, lol), do we have any examples of roughly how long 50 metres is, then 20 metres? Like in car or bus lengths?

Thanks