PIP Mobility Advice Please

Hi Vicki,no need to feel guitly at all.

Most important thing is be open and honest on the form.

It is a horrible form, out of neccessity it forces you to think about what you can't do, rather than what you can. My advice would be sit down and get it over and done with as soon as possible (I put it off until the last date I could send it, so pot calling the kettle black here!)

For the mobility questions describe how you walk, how fast/slow, whether and when pain is an issue, what you need/do to help with walking.

You'll then probably be called for a face to face meeting and again need to describe and explain how you do things and what difficulties you have.

In terms of evidence, I actually didn't send any, but gave permission to contact people which worked fine for me. If you have anything with proof of diagnoses or surgery, OT or physio assessments that might help, but don't get strung up on evidence if you don't have any to hand.

Important to remember hte many horror stories you read online obscure the many of us who went through the process and foudn it relatively painless. Worst case scenario you're managing now you'll manage if you don't get anything from PIP, but it might make life easier if you do.

good luck

Please don't feel guilty (i think most of us do).. it is not your fault you are poorly and you deserve help.

Some 'illness/disease' charities have guides for filling the form in an dthey can be really helpful.. so you could start by looking at cerebral palsy charities.

I like the guide from the MS society its a free download and although not my disease/disability the information is really useful.

Remember when answerng the questions that to answer YES you need to be able to do that task;
Reliably - to an acceptable standard
Repeatedly - as often as necessary
safely - without harm
Timely -

So if you can do the task in the morning but not at end of day you still say No.

Get lots of help, ask questions and do your best.

I type my answers into word, put NI number, name and d.o.b on top and label question numbers. I then print some labels that say 'please see additional sheet page' (leaving a blank to biro in later) these are then put in the comments boxes. It saves a huge amount of writing, allows me to edit my answers as i remember something and means i can just edit the info for the renewals to up-date them when my time comes.

Evidence can be anything.. letters from specialists, a statement from someone who knows you.. they don't have to be a carer a friend can write something, A diary of symptoms and how they effect you, prescriptions, social work reports (if you have them). GP's can provide letters to support you although some charge, either way its worth making sure GP knows you are applying..you could send a quick letter in to them.

I hope it goes well for you