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living on own

i have a telephone consultation soon as i have recently filled in a PIP application I am really worried about the first question on prepqring food as mt conditions have become really bad.I am type 1 diabetic and this has really impacted on my life I have continual pain in all my body which impacts on me,I called the DWP and said i mainly eat food from food from tins as i find it difficult to prepare from fresh i look for tis with ring pull tops and using conventional can openers is out .:In the pip forms it makes no mention of living on my own and all the question in the form seem to be against me,I was told over the phone that i would get 4 points for using tinned food i dont know how they can come to this conclusion i just need to know what answer should i give the assessor to give my max points award pls help
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As advised you need to explain why you cant do a task do you need to use an aid, what happens when you try to do it eg you cant cut veg due to the pain in your hands and this puts you in danger of cutting yourself
Give a couple of real examples of what happened when you last tried to do the task. Also mention as you are unable to prepare a balanced diet this has an affect on your diabetes control
As advised it may be better to get some help filling in the forms or at least having a good read of the descriptors as you could possibly score points in other areas too
Hope it all goes well for you
In regards to your question, you would need to explain how you eat if you are unable to cook and prepare food for yourself. As an example I cannot cook anything from scratch so my boyfriend does it for me, and if he is not here I can make a sandwich or have a bowl of cereal. If you were unable to cook a meal for yourself what would you then eat? That is the sort of the stuff they are looking for, they don't look at your diagnosis only how it affects your ability to do the things they are asking about.
It is also about what you need even if you don't already have it. So if you could cook a meal with the assistance of someone else then that is why you would score 4 points on that descriptor. If you can't cook a meal even with assistance then you need to explain why you can't do that.
They are not part of the panel or the decision they are only there to put forward their case for not giving the award
The panel are independent and no part of the DWP
1 - I would guess we’re talking diabetic neuropathy combined with arthritis so I would guess there’s an issue with hand pain and limited movement? However, unless you explicitly say so, it’s not going to be clear to a HCP why that might inhibit peeling, chopping and slicing if you retain enough dexterity and grip to open a can.
5 - it’s not difficult to pull apart a HCP report but that in itself is rarely enough to get PIP. Look at the strength of your own evidence rather than for weakness in theirs. It doesn’t matter how weak the HCP report is if your evidence is also weak. Nice as it was if your physio to pull apart the views of a mental health nurse the HCP assessment is about functtinal ability. It requires no expertise in your condition at all.
Don’t suppose your nephew told you any of that?!
Yes the salaried judges are on £112k pa but that’s for a 60 hour week; plenty of weekend work and more.
i didn’t make any notes well I did but on the day I just answered from my heart and how I struggle and that’s all you can do .