Re: Dressing

Hi crystal

If you need help in putting on layers of clothing then you need to explain the why part, why do you need help to put on or take off layers of clothing.

In your explanation you mentioned the why 'Because of autoimmune related weakness in my arms, putting on the base layer top can be very challenging and I often get stuck half-way (which is an unpleasant experience) and I have to keep my calm and work to untangle myself (as it's at the back that the material tends to get caught up). Often I will just have to sit on a chair or the floor (still tangled up), so as to find my point of balance before continuing.

Oftentimes when around others, one of the first things I do is ask for help with taking off/changing my top. '

Gary

Hi crystal

I would say your WHY was sufficient;

Reg 4(2)A Personal Independence Payment Regs 2013 stipulates that all Personal Independence Payment descriptor activities have to be done ‘reliably’ namely
Where [a claimant's] ability to carry out an activity is assessed, [the claimant] is to be assessed as satisfying a descriptor only if [the claimant] can do so -

(a) safely;
(b) to an acceptable standard;
(c) repeatedly; and
(d) within a reasonable time period.

Regulation 4(4) of the main PIP regulations provides -

a. "safely” means in a manner unlikely to cause harm to [the claimant] or to another person, either during or after completion of the activity;
b. "acceptable standard" - does it cause pain/exhaustion or fatigue - maybe you can't twist round far enough to reach everywhere;
c. “repeatedly” means as often as the activity being assessed is reasonably required to be completed; and
d. “reasonable time period” means no more than twice as long as the maximum period that a person without a physical or mental condition which limits that person’s ability to carry out the activity in question would normally take to complete that activity.

All four of the above criteria need to be satisfied. In addition, Reg 7 provides that you need to consider what happens ‘on over 50 per cent of the days.'

Unfortunately one can never say how a HCP will read it.

Gary