PIP review question about aids

Hi Jellybean,
An aid or appliance is basically anything that you might use to alleviate disability. Adapted cutlery, raised toilet seats, grab rails in the bathroom, long handled shoe horn or a perching stool in the kitchen are obvious examples. No doubt any disability shop or catalogue would have loads more. However an aid etc doesn't have to be a purpose made item from such a catalogue.An aid could be a home made item, or even a repurposed item normally used for a different purpose. So eg...if you used an old umbrella to pull up socks or trousers this could be an aid, or an upturned beer crate might used as a shower seat. These would all count.
A lightweight pan might also work, but given that the 'cooking test ' under Descriptor 1 only requires a meal for one to be made, it would have to be something exceptionally light.
Wearing elasticated pull on clothes can indicate that you need an aid to help or that a person because you can't otherwise dress yourself. Hence you should get the relevant points according to the level of disability.
The law provides that all Descriptor activities have to be done safely, repeatedly, to an acceptable standard and within reasonable time. All 4 criteria need to be met.
I always make an analysis like this -
1. Can I actually do the activity at all?
2. If no, then the highest score is likely to be correct.
(For most people an activity is usually possible in some way )
3. If I can do the task how do I do it, do I need some sort of help?
4. Think about the 4 criteria above - can I fulfil these ?
5. If no, Firstly consider if some sort of aid etc is enough to ensure you are safe, acceptable, in time etc
6. Perhaps you need physical help or supervision or prompting?
7. Does any physical help allow you to perform and or complete the task and remain safe etc
8. If despite help you can't complete the activity and or are not safe, can't do it acceptably then again it is likely you 'can't do X' usually the highest scoring value on the set.
Remember that if the help provided basically does the whole task ( because you can't due to disability) you are NOT doing it and should score points accordingly.
The 4 criteria I mentioned include reasonable time and repetition.
Reasonable time is more than twice that if a non disabled person. Thus if you need to split up the task a bit at a time and then rest do more etc it is likely to take the task outside the Reasonable time. Repetition is across the whole day as oftenvas reasonably required. Obviously if it takes a long time to do anyone task that might eat into available time to repeat the task or other Descriptor tasks. Fatigue could be a problem here.
I also mentioned acceptable standard- if you do a task but in a rather messy or slapdash way, it probably won't be 'acceptable'- so managing to get a shirt in but with buttons all misaligned and crossed over is unlikely to be acceptable.
Being unsafe or unacceptable etc indicates a need for help. Now it is possible that eg to help you get in the bath all you need is a grab rail and this maintains your balance so you stay safe. Hence you need an aid. But if you still slipped and could fall, you might need someone to actually help instead. If you were severely disabled and had some sort of electric hoist to get you into a shower which perhaps could be voice activated, but your arms were paralysed then you would have a strong argument that although you could get into the shower due to immobile arms you were unable to wash yourself ar all.
Being seated eg perching stool or shower seat may allow points as an aid fir cooking and washing respectively but sitting on the bed is not an aid for getting dressed- basically that's what many able bodied people do so it won't count unless the use of the bed or chair is a very odd and particular use relating to your individual disabilities. (Caselaw on this!)
Finally the test is whether you need the aid etc (or help) you don't have to prove you actually have either of these. Thus if you do slip or stumble the bathroom, this could indicate you NEED a grab rail as an aid!
I hope this helps.
LL26

Hi Jellybean,
The rules about repetition require you to repeat the task as often as reasonably required across the whole day.
Each descriptor task will have its own repetition rate. OK so let's consider descriptor 1 which basically concerns cooking meals. How many meals would want to cook each day. Breakfast, lunch dinner, and possibly high tea, so you repeat 3 or 4 times. The repetition is what either you used to do yourself before disability or what you would like to do if not disabled. It could also be more if for example you have medical reasons for needing more, perhaps smaller meals each day.
Taking Nutrition- so eating and drinking. Obviously all the cooking repeats will dovetail with eating/drinking. Also there could be various cups of tea and coffee, water etc more in the current heatwave. So the repeats here could be eg 3 meals,
3 morning drinks, a snack, 3 afternoon drinks and maybe one or two later after supper. Again everyone's repetition rate will be different, but there are 2 important considerations.
1. Can you manage to complete all the required repeats whilst remaining 'safe' ie without risk of substantial harm to yourself or another, can you remain 'acceptable' and can you complete the task within the 'reasonable time.'.
2. Do you avoid the activity because its too much bother or maybe pain, or causes undue fatigue etc etc?
If you fail to do all the repeats- what is the problem then consider whether help from an aid or person is required.
If you avoid activities then again ask the similar question - why don't I do it. Again this is likely to indicate you need help of some sort if you do avoid.
The rules on repetition are clear - if you miss a repetition unless for a very trivial part of the day, then this is a day that will count towards whether you can complete a descriptor activity for the majority of days.
Going back to cooking as example if via disability you can only manage to prepare/cook 2/3 meals then you have actually missed a third of cooking tasks!
Whilst most tasks might require lets say between 0-10 repetitions, possibly more according to the different activity, things like communication is likely to be required 24/7. Reading repetition is required during waking hours.
Walking or doing journeys - think holistically - all journeys entail maybe a few steps to or from a vehicle. Think about a possible day. This could be on foot or using a car or bus etc
Take kids to school
Back from school go to post office
Visit bank
Meet friend for coffee
Back home
Doctors appointment
Pick up kids
Drop kids at karate
Go home
Pick up kids
None if these jourhey and or walking would be implausible, and the question still remains can you to all of these safely and acceptably and in time? (Or do you avoid because of disability etc )
Think about a week or eg a month how many days did you fail to reorient as described due to your health problems- if the total is more than the majority of the days you have considered, then you should score points according to the level of your disability.
There have been recent cases where a functioning alcohol could manage descriptor tasks in the morning but by evening was too inebriated. He failed to repeat and could score points on various activities.
Similarly a lady who had chronic fatigue but did part time work was too exhausted to do eg cooking etc - the tribunal agreed she couldn't repeat, and given the 'principle of normality' ie disabled people can do whatever non disabled people do, and shouldn't be penalised with no PIP points as a result. Doing part time work is perfectly fine. (However obviously if you seem to be living a high flying life and then claim you can't compete descriptor activities it's going to be difficult to establish how disabled you really are!)
Anyway I hope this helps explain more about repetition and how important this is.
LL26