I was awarded DlA higher mobility and like everyone I will have to qualify for PIP .
Which lead me to think, how do I prove that I cant walk more than 20m and for that matter how do they prove that I can ??
I understand the criteria is that you can walk 20m in less than half of normal walking speed and you do not need to stop etc. But who measures and times this ?
If they do measure and time it , what sort of surface and gradient is it.
lastly are different times of the day taken into consideration ? I.E.when I first get up I can hardly walk at all but after a couple of hours I can shuffle maybe up to 50m. If I travel over 1 hour in a car or sit down for more than an hour, walking is more slow for a while.
My best time is late at night at the end of a cool day. Then I can quite comfortably do 20m, the worst is a hot day when Ive just got up and can walk zero meters.
All of the above I cant actually prove unless someone were to actually witness me getting out of bed.
So the question is does anyone know how they measure your ability to walk on a P.I.P. interogation ??
l donât know how they measure this -but the advice that has always been given on this forum is that you should fill the form in thinking of how you are on your worst days. With RRMS - peoples mobility changes a lot. Us with PPMS - SPMS - everyday is a bad day.
Hi, Maybe the fact that you need a stick or crutches or even after walking you were completely exhausted or in pain would help to clarify it
I went straight on to pips but when my pips was up for renewal had a interview at home and she could see the adaptations and i told her that although i could wall walk and use the furniture in my own home without the wheelchair i wouldnât get out. perhaps if you explained that although you walk it is very limited and to get anywhere of any distance you may need to use a scooter or wheelchair. I hope that helpsâŚthese questions always depress me.
I had quite a lot to say about this particular issue when I asked for mandatory reconsideration, I was initially rejected for both elements of PIP.
Yes, speed & reliability are two of the main measures that are used - I pretty much explained that it all went downhill later in the day and as for reliability⌠well my worst one was falling before Iâd even taken a single step. Balance & attaxia mean my husband, relative or friend needs to be close to hand as whenever I think Iâm fine, thatâs when the damage starts! Iâm likely PPMS but the juryâs still out on that one, whichever way you look at it, I donât go out on my own now, always have my phone on my person etc. Iâve still needed 2 trips to A&E and 5 stitches since all that happened. Seriously, consider the rules carefully and how they apply to you.
If you have any problems then ask for a copy of the report written. Mine had some completely inaccurate comments about me walking from the car park when Iâd explained how lucky it was there was such a bad traffic jam that I was able to get out of the car on the other carriageway opposite the office!
I just looked the letter actually, this is what ATOS commented on my mobility ââŚyou were able to remove your boots independentlyâ - that was at 10.30 in the morning⌠seriously, I binned those boots when I had to use my left big-toe to remove my right boot, in the all-fours position more than once, when hubby wasnât around to help me sigh
By some miracle DWP reviewed it before the tribunal, they even called me to apologise. I even explained to the ATOS lady right at the start that I had been flexible & strong before MS was diagnosed and there was a lot Iâd dealt with because I somehow could.
I hope you have an ok assessor, from stories Iâve read on here, it seems to be luck of the drawer
Yh Iâve been reading up as much as possible on other peoples experience of the interogation. Lots of trick questions. Do you go shopping ? How did you get here today ? Innocent sounding questions which sound like all they need is a short answer when really how you answer them is to go into as much detail as you can. By simply answering yes I do go shopping gives the interogator the excuse to say well you can obviously walk then.
I will go to the interview by cab right to the door and may even turn up in a chair although I dont absolutely need one at the moment.That is not to say that I wouldânt be better off with one,walking is pretty much down to zero but Iâm just trying to keep out of a wheelchair for as long as possible.
I can prove I have ppms but thats not what theyâre looking for. They want to know how it affects you, just incase they can squeeze a few more drops of work out of you.
I understand they will lie , be disengenous, take everything you say lterally, use every trick in the book to deny you pennies . Guess the only defence is fight fire with fire .
l think it best you get them to come to your house to interview you. Why should you struggle to get there. And they will think - well if they can manage to get here they canât be too bad. Sounds cynical l know - but l think it is more ârealisticâ.
lf you do go - get someone to âwheelâ you - and make sure you crash into all the furniture and paintwork!!!
Yh good idea but as I understand it your doctor has got to write requesting a home visit. I donât think he would because I am not housebound ⌠yet !
The wheelchair idea is good though, that rules out any misunderstanding deliberate or otherwise as to the length and speed I can walk !
I donât think your GP does have to request a home visit. My atos assessor phoned me to arrange when she could come. But I do live in the country and the nearest centre is 25 miles away, so maybe that was why. I first got standard rate, then reapplied a year later on the grounds of deterioration, and got enhanced without another face to face assessment. I do think supporting evidence is crucial - letters from GP, OT, neuro nurse etc. If you just put them on the form as contacts, then they wonât bother contacting them, but if you send actual letters, they have to read them. My OT described the difficulties she had observed on a home visit. Good luck.
You have to be able to do it in a certain time frame and without pain and safe, I had a home assessment and she just asked how far I can walk I said to toilet and my bedroom that is truth for me my mobility is bad after a water infection, the OT was only here 20 mins a week later I was awarded enhanced, good luck.
if you have Facebook look for the group 4UP they are very helpful with questions like this.
normal walking speed is about 100 metres a minute. Slow is 50 metres a minute.
use your chair if you have one. How do you know how far the walk is once inside the building
with me they looked at my leg muscles whilst in chair so I guess they want to know if there is muscle wastage / loss of definition.
I called them to say the appointment centre was too far away and got a closer centre. A home visit would show my grab rails and adaptions but ATOS would not come. As I understand it the other company do home visits.
my award letter said they could not consider how you manage with slopes, hills, uneven ground or steps. They must think we all live in Holland !
i used my chair (I use it for the majority of the week and a stick the rest of it). They asked if I went shopping (delivered to me). I guess it is to see how you get around rather than a trick. I had no walking test (couldnât get on the physio table as would fall) and got top rate mobility (letter came yesterday)
They looked at your leg muscles for signs of wastage !! How did they know what they looked like before. Jokers !! Besides you can exercise your legs using gym equipment and they may be quite muscley, that doesnt mean you can walk !! Jokers x 2 !!
Welcome to this lovely forum, ivâe found a lot of support here although iâm still not diagnosed. I have deteriorated over the last 3 years and now need to use a wheelchair I hope both you and your son get lots of support. its a great place for information and moral supportâŚit might be useful if you start a new thread and then you will probably get more people replying.