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Started PIP form. Am I on the right track?
- zak
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2 months 2 weeks ago #287582 by zak
Started PIP form. Am I on the right track? was created by zak
Hi
Im currently doing my pip form. I've scanned the pip guide and have started writing it with my social worker. It's written from his POV as he writes it, then asks me for info. We understand about 'reliabilty i.e time, good standard, safety, reliability so have tried to get those in.
How is this for an opening statement and the first question?
Please note re. the Hernia, I might be able to have an operation privately in March so that will become irrelevant to PIP say around end of April when I recover from that. For the time being on the form Im leaving it with the NHS timeline of a year.
I have a letter from the doctor confirming my treatments of CBT, Bereavement counselling and Antidepressants, letters from 2 local counsellors, a letter from my social worker helping me with this form as regards my abilities, and potentially (waiting on this) a letter from the Mental Health Crisis Team of how the depression affected me
OPENING STATEMENT
Condition 1: Clinical Depression - since 15 September 2023 when Xxxxxs’ Mum suddenly passed away. After a period of bereavement of a couple of months it became clear that Xxxxx had become clinically depressed and hence was in touch with the local Mental Health Crisis Team to help him get through. This was only for a short period though of a month, and now has little help to get him through, hence the application for PIP to help him get longer term support.
He has all the symptoms of clinical depression i.e strong feelings of low self worth, inability to focus, and very low motivation. He doesn’t know when he will come out of this.
He often has feelings of not wanting to be here, has little physical or mental energy and can really only do tasks that take less than 15 minutes, 2 or 3 times a day. He feels a shadow of his former self where he could do 10x this.
Condition 2: Hernia: since 24 December 2023 (An asymptomatic hernia became symptomatic after a stomach inflammation) Xxxxx now struggles with mobility, cannot walk reliably more than 50m – until his operation which has been requested with the NHS but there is no date yet set. It could be for up to a year. This has further impacted Xxxxx’s depression.
Q 3: How your health condition affects your day to day life
Q3a
Yes
Q3b Preparing Food
CONDITION 1: DEPRESSION
What the difficulty is
Xxxxx has difficulty getting the motivation and the physical energy to make meals
How often – good and bad days
This occurs more than half the time.
Why you have it – how it relates to your condition
His depression mentally makes him feel like it’s really not worth the bother of preparing food, and also low physical energy adds to this.
He never has breakfast, more than half the time he will eat just toast and hummus, or toast and an avocado. At the weekend he tries to make his favourite meal salmon in the evening though says this takes three times longer than usual, is to a very poor standard and one time left the gas burner on the pan.
Any aids or adaptations you use or help you get from another person
None
Any help you feel you need but do not get
Xxxxx would like a social worker or some kind of advocate that would call him to prompt him to eat a proper meal, or even someone that could come and assist him occasionally
CONDITION 2: HERNIA
Getting to the shop itself to obtain the food is difficult as his hernia means more than half the time he gets pain and has to abandon the shop half way around.
Im currently doing my pip form. I've scanned the pip guide and have started writing it with my social worker. It's written from his POV as he writes it, then asks me for info. We understand about 'reliabilty i.e time, good standard, safety, reliability so have tried to get those in.
How is this for an opening statement and the first question?
Please note re. the Hernia, I might be able to have an operation privately in March so that will become irrelevant to PIP say around end of April when I recover from that. For the time being on the form Im leaving it with the NHS timeline of a year.
I have a letter from the doctor confirming my treatments of CBT, Bereavement counselling and Antidepressants, letters from 2 local counsellors, a letter from my social worker helping me with this form as regards my abilities, and potentially (waiting on this) a letter from the Mental Health Crisis Team of how the depression affected me
OPENING STATEMENT
Condition 1: Clinical Depression - since 15 September 2023 when Xxxxxs’ Mum suddenly passed away. After a period of bereavement of a couple of months it became clear that Xxxxx had become clinically depressed and hence was in touch with the local Mental Health Crisis Team to help him get through. This was only for a short period though of a month, and now has little help to get him through, hence the application for PIP to help him get longer term support.
He has all the symptoms of clinical depression i.e strong feelings of low self worth, inability to focus, and very low motivation. He doesn’t know when he will come out of this.
He often has feelings of not wanting to be here, has little physical or mental energy and can really only do tasks that take less than 15 minutes, 2 or 3 times a day. He feels a shadow of his former self where he could do 10x this.
Condition 2: Hernia: since 24 December 2023 (An asymptomatic hernia became symptomatic after a stomach inflammation) Xxxxx now struggles with mobility, cannot walk reliably more than 50m – until his operation which has been requested with the NHS but there is no date yet set. It could be for up to a year. This has further impacted Xxxxx’s depression.
Q 3: How your health condition affects your day to day life
Q3a
Yes
Q3b Preparing Food
CONDITION 1: DEPRESSION
What the difficulty is
Xxxxx has difficulty getting the motivation and the physical energy to make meals
How often – good and bad days
This occurs more than half the time.
Why you have it – how it relates to your condition
His depression mentally makes him feel like it’s really not worth the bother of preparing food, and also low physical energy adds to this.
He never has breakfast, more than half the time he will eat just toast and hummus, or toast and an avocado. At the weekend he tries to make his favourite meal salmon in the evening though says this takes three times longer than usual, is to a very poor standard and one time left the gas burner on the pan.
Any aids or adaptations you use or help you get from another person
None
Any help you feel you need but do not get
Xxxxx would like a social worker or some kind of advocate that would call him to prompt him to eat a proper meal, or even someone that could come and assist him occasionally
CONDITION 2: HERNIA
Getting to the shop itself to obtain the food is difficult as his hernia means more than half the time he gets pain and has to abandon the shop half way around.
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- BIS
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2 months 2 weeks ago #287600 by BIS
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by BIS on topic Started PIP form. Am I on the right track?
Hi Zak
Well done for getting started.
I'm glad you made the decision with your social worker for him to write it - that is much better than you doing it.
Here are a couple of points for you to consider.
1. Your depression sounds currently all-consuming. Don't say that "sometimes he has feelings of not wanting to be here" - because, in my view, it makes light of what you are going through. The first person who reads your form will be a non-medical professional, so it sounds wishy-washy. I don't want to upset you, but if you're feeling suicidal or experiencing suicidal ideation - use those words. One of the problems with applying for PIP is that claimants often want to downplay what they are going through because they're embarrassed or they don't want to make too much fuss. Also, I'm sure you're social worker doesn't want to hurt you either or make things worse - but you have to remember the person reading your form doesn't know you or anything about you - so spell it out. "He can't see an end to this" - is better than "He doesn't know when he will come out of it."
I worry about the timing of tasks to 15 minutes. You know people can do a lot in 15 minutes and if you tie yourself into that - they will say you could prepare a snack, have a wash, take a short walk (even with hernia). Now you can argue that you are much slower than other people without your disabilities - but I just wouldn't put a time in at all. It's too easy for an assessor to misinterpret it..
You need to explain more about the hernia and the pain. (I have a close relative with a serious one - so I know what it's like). Is it just the pain or the physical hernia that affects your mobility? Do you have pain when you're still or only when you move? If you're standing, does the pain start straight away? Do you walk more slowly than someone who doesn't have a hernia? At the moment they will go that you can walk 50 to 200 metres. I know you say less than fifty, but bring that number down. The length that you can walk is dictated by how soon you have to stop - and I bet that is less than 50 metres. Stay how often you have to stop and what symptoms you experience, breathlessness, pain, aches. Talk about if you recover, how quickly that happens, or whether doing one thing wipes you out for the day.
You don't have to write reams - but I just want you to give a clear picture of your experience and how it impacts your daily living and mobility. Unfortunately, with PIP, it is hard to gauge just how much one needs to say and what exactly is the right thing to say.
Be careful about using the term good and bad days. Some people's good days are equivalent to a bad day of someone who doesn't have the condition. So more than half the time - what does that mean? Spell it out. Because it could be 4 out of 7 or 6 out of 7. Make sure that you are very clear what a bad day is and if you want to describe a "better" day - then do so - but don't give the assessor any opportunity to jump on that.
When do you eat toast and hummus? One minute you don't eat breakfast but then it sounds as if you eat that for breakfast. Anyone reading that isn't going to think that is a bad meal to have. If that's all you're eating in a day - make it clear. I notice that you have only linked your depression to cooking. But surely, if you're hernia inhibits your mobility, it would also impact moving around cooking.
By the way - I don't know how far your shop is from your home, or what type of shop you are shopping in, but unless you make it clear they are going to assume that you can walk over 50 metres (particularly if you shop in a supermarket) I know you are saying that half the time you have to abandon it - but you're still going and coming back and this is something the assessors jump on and misinterpret.
You've made a great start and I'm glad you have your social worker to help you. I hope I haven't panicked you. You can't get it 'perfect' - none of us ever can.
BIS
Well done for getting started.
I'm glad you made the decision with your social worker for him to write it - that is much better than you doing it.
Here are a couple of points for you to consider.
1. Your depression sounds currently all-consuming. Don't say that "sometimes he has feelings of not wanting to be here" - because, in my view, it makes light of what you are going through. The first person who reads your form will be a non-medical professional, so it sounds wishy-washy. I don't want to upset you, but if you're feeling suicidal or experiencing suicidal ideation - use those words. One of the problems with applying for PIP is that claimants often want to downplay what they are going through because they're embarrassed or they don't want to make too much fuss. Also, I'm sure you're social worker doesn't want to hurt you either or make things worse - but you have to remember the person reading your form doesn't know you or anything about you - so spell it out. "He can't see an end to this" - is better than "He doesn't know when he will come out of it."
I worry about the timing of tasks to 15 minutes. You know people can do a lot in 15 minutes and if you tie yourself into that - they will say you could prepare a snack, have a wash, take a short walk (even with hernia). Now you can argue that you are much slower than other people without your disabilities - but I just wouldn't put a time in at all. It's too easy for an assessor to misinterpret it..
You need to explain more about the hernia and the pain. (I have a close relative with a serious one - so I know what it's like). Is it just the pain or the physical hernia that affects your mobility? Do you have pain when you're still or only when you move? If you're standing, does the pain start straight away? Do you walk more slowly than someone who doesn't have a hernia? At the moment they will go that you can walk 50 to 200 metres. I know you say less than fifty, but bring that number down. The length that you can walk is dictated by how soon you have to stop - and I bet that is less than 50 metres. Stay how often you have to stop and what symptoms you experience, breathlessness, pain, aches. Talk about if you recover, how quickly that happens, or whether doing one thing wipes you out for the day.
You don't have to write reams - but I just want you to give a clear picture of your experience and how it impacts your daily living and mobility. Unfortunately, with PIP, it is hard to gauge just how much one needs to say and what exactly is the right thing to say.
Be careful about using the term good and bad days. Some people's good days are equivalent to a bad day of someone who doesn't have the condition. So more than half the time - what does that mean? Spell it out. Because it could be 4 out of 7 or 6 out of 7. Make sure that you are very clear what a bad day is and if you want to describe a "better" day - then do so - but don't give the assessor any opportunity to jump on that.
When do you eat toast and hummus? One minute you don't eat breakfast but then it sounds as if you eat that for breakfast. Anyone reading that isn't going to think that is a bad meal to have. If that's all you're eating in a day - make it clear. I notice that you have only linked your depression to cooking. But surely, if you're hernia inhibits your mobility, it would also impact moving around cooking.
By the way - I don't know how far your shop is from your home, or what type of shop you are shopping in, but unless you make it clear they are going to assume that you can walk over 50 metres (particularly if you shop in a supermarket) I know you are saying that half the time you have to abandon it - but you're still going and coming back and this is something the assessors jump on and misinterpret.
You've made a great start and I'm glad you have your social worker to help you. I hope I haven't panicked you. You can't get it 'perfect' - none of us ever can.
BIS
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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- zak
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2 months 2 weeks ago #287656 by zak
Replied by zak on topic Started PIP form. Am I on the right track?
Hi Bis,
Thanks so much. WIll have another look and get back to you
Cheers
Thanks so much. WIll have another look and get back to you
Cheers
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