PIP - Planning and following a journey

Blancmang25

Just want to get some advice/thoughts on the above?

Partner receives enhanced daily living already and not due for a review until 2030, he will be of pension age when this is due and his problems will not change, just get worse as he gets older.

He has now been told by his gp not to drive and has been referred to the sleep clinic(Sept'26).

He had a Epworth Sleepiness Scale test and scored 14/24, hence why told not to drive.(and he was not exactly truthful and thought he had done quite well!) Do not have to notify DVLA as no diagnosis.

So my thoughts are he would not be able to follow a journey without another person as he falls to sleep when inactive, so he would not be able to do this safely or reliably?

We thought this was just normal tiredness but has been going on for at least a year now, only became more aware when falling asleep at 10am in the car everyday, as we had to travel to London for another matter from May - July.

To give a few examples of when he just drops off into a sleep and this means actually nudging him or shouting if he's dropping off and then he says he hasn't! 🫣

At a football match - Premier league, last year, just thought it was because the match was boring lol.

In the car - now matter what time

Reading, eating dinner, playing a game on his console(he didn't tell me this)

All the time he is active - no problem

Any thoughts would be appreciated

tacpot12

I had to google this, but if he is falling asleep because he is tired, they won't take this into account when considering whether or not he can plan or follow a journey. PIP looks at the mental health, cognitive issues, or severe psychological distress that stops him from navigating outside. Tiredness isn't any of these.

His tiredness is probably treatable. I have a couple of friends with Sleep Apnoea whose lives have been turned around by CPAP machines.

marcia_

my hubby has quite severe sleep apnea, stops breathing hundreds of times an hour. Obviously has no driving licence as a result and falls asleep on public transport yet gets no mobility because he doesn't fall asleep while walking and he knows how to plan a journey.

peteuk

Planning and following a journey covers cognitive mental health conditions, which sleep apnea doesn't fit into. He has the capacity to plan and follow a journey by foot/public transport/driving.

Equally there is no confirmed diagnosis until sleep clinic assessment, and given that the majority of symptoms improve with CPAP, unless severe sleep apnea is often discounted with PIP.

born_again

Riddle me this, does falling asleep, mean he can not plan a journey?

Could he get a bus into town & back?

Blancmang25

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82158348#Comment_82158348

He can plan a journey, but can fall asleep on the bus,train etc...so unless some one actually woke him... he would remain on either, so I was thinking of safely and reliably?

Obviously no diagnosis so it's a long way off and as I said just wanted everyone's thoughts.

peteuk

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82158394#Comment_82158394

But if he fell a sleep on a bus, and woke up somewhere else he would have the cognitive and mental capacity to work out where he was and how to correct that.

HillStreetBlues

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82158433#Comment_82158433

No doubt it could be corrected, but if that did happen then route planned wasn't followed.

marcia_

If he ended up somewhere else as my hubby has a few time returning home from work can he can figure out how to get back on track? what train to catch back to where he wants to be? My hubby can even though he also has autism.
As said earlier he gets pip but no mobility even after reconsideration on this medical information.

Spoonie_Turtle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82158467#Comment_82158467

True but being able to reorient and cope with changes to the planned journey is considered, and definitely won't score points.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82158394#Comment_82158394

As others the falling asleep is not stopping him from planning a journey, or getting back on track.

I can see your argument, but sadly that is not how it works.