PIP assessment at home

RomaFree1

Thanks for letting me join! I have a PIP assessment at home due on 10 March by Capita  and quite frankly, I am terrified.
i will look through the forum to hopefully learn more about what to expect. Thanks! 

Sam_Alumni

Hi @RomaFree1 welcome to the community, there is a great guide for the PIP assessment on the CAB website that may be help to you.

bubbly

Hi. I had a home assessment for pip too. 
I think it's natural to be nervous, but it really wasn't that bad for me!

charmed

Bubbly understabily a lot of people go through assessment on day its ok and stress waiting to hear, you think it went ok and another thing, 
did you get yours or are you still waiting?

ValRon

Thanks for letting me join. My wife was giving a home assessment date as the 22nd February only to receive a phone call from Atos on the 21st February to say that the assessor was unavailable and make a appointment for 9th March. Does anybody think they are testing how she deals with change and the extra stress, they are succeeding in stressing out.

bubbly

I got enhanced daily living and mobility. I think I found out a couple of weeks after the visit.

ValRon

Now Atos has rescheduled my wife's home assessment for a second time to the 10th March, this is just making her more stressed and ill, they just seem to be putting more pressure on my wife.

Matilda

I don't think it's personal.  Atos regard their 'customers' more as items to be processed, not as human beings - they are callous.  I agree that the vile PIP process is very stressful and makes disabled persons' conditions even worse.  However, I understand that a House of Commons committee is enquiring into the lies that Atos and Capital put in assessment reports.  The DWP and the assessment companies have lost all credibility over PIP - surely things most change.

ValRon

The whole PIP system needs reviewing. Atos and capita seem like they can do what they want, they only get paid on results on saving money which is totally wrong and unethical. The disabled are persecuted and victimised to save money. Lets hope that the government see's sense and drops Atos and Capita.

RomaFree1

ValRon, how I agree with your post!! 
Sorry everyone that I wasn't able to get back here earlier to thank you for your welcome posts! Thank you!!! 

charmed

Congratuations Bubbly...

do i tell them when i have my home assessment soon that OT okd walkin shower room i have letters and plans from OT just waiting for them to start is this new evidence as i cannot use the way my bathroom is at moment i have a carer.

scouser

Charmed show them everything my wife showed them around my buglow showed them shower room my  washing bowel I use when can't get up my chair I need to help the wife to cook tell them how you cook etc remember it's not your disability it's what it stopes you dong like have some one to put ur socks on etc and bye the why I also pasted mine and I am on in hashed for both care and mobility and I was only on mid care and high mobility so my money goes up £100 mth do it's worked out better for me I waited 3 weeks 

bubbly

@charmed the more evidence the better!

they are interested in the help you need to do the different activities.if you have a career make sure they know all the help you need from them too. Good luck!

LucasWeatherby

Mine was a home assessment, done in December 2015 just before Christmas, so it was also very stressful. 

I was asked a series of questions about my daily life and I answered them in my living room, explaining the help I get from my girlfriend who cares for me. I didn't show them around the flat, just explained everything with my life on a typical day and answered the questions fully focusing on the daily difficulties and what things are like on my worst days. I was sat for the entire duration in my wheelchair at my computer.

Fortunately the home assessment visit didn't require me to do any tasks, the assessor was a former district nurse so I felt that she was very understanding of things. I made sure my dog was kept in another room and my parrot was locked up to try and make things comfortable for the assessor as well. 

I didn't really reflect on or refer to positives much at all, the "I can"'s were always elaborated to stress any difficulties doing them and the dangers, no matter how proud I am at being able to do certain tasks. This is because the assessment is to get a picture of what your life is like so they can make the best informed decision that they can. It needs to be clear to them what barriers you are facing on a daily or more frequent basis. 

One thing to prepare was we (myself and carer) looked at the PIP assessment guidelines before the assessment and spoke about the kinds of things that were coming up. It was helpful to go over things that I avoid on a daily basis without really realising it, or realising it is a barrier to doing something. For example, I don't cook at all because its often dangerous for me, if I am alone on any occasion I often order in, instead or buy a sandwich etc. It's just become second nature to me some of the adjustments I make that I don't always think of them as a barrier. But they can be useful on your application when you explain why that is, and why you couldn't do x y z otherwise.

As it turned out, I was awarded the higher rate care and mobility for a continuous period (10 years), an increase on my DLA infinite award (middle rate care, higher rate mobility). As much as I hope my advice above might help, I'm also grateful and aware that I may have been lucky in who assessed me as well. 

All the best in your home assessment, I hope it goes well. Fingers crossed!