Daily living and mobility activities
Information about the daily living and mobility activities that form part of your PIP assessment criteria.
Preparing food
This activity is about whether you can prepare and cook a simple, hot, one-course meal from fresh ingredients (not ready meals). It is not about how good you are as a cook, but about whether your medical condition(s) affects your ability to prepare a simple, hot meal.
Eating and drinking
This activity is about physically feeding yourself, eating and drinking, and whether you are able to do this unaided, or with help. It does not include preparing food (covered in activity 1). Nutrition means food and drink.
Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
This activity is about taking medication, or managing any treatment, at home. It is also about your ability to notice any changes in your health, and know what to do about it.
Washing and bathing
This activity is about your ability to keep your body clean, including washing your whole body and getting in and out of a non-adapted bath or shower.
Managing toilet needs or incontinence
This activity is about your ability to get on and off the toilet, to clean afterwards and to manage emptying your bladder and/or bowel, including the use of collecting devices. This activity does not include the ability to manage clothing, for example fastening and unfastening zips or buttons, as this is covered in activity 6.
Dressing and undressing
This activity is about your ability to dress and undress, including choosing, and putting on appropriate and non-adapted clothing that is suitable for the situation, including socks and shoes. This may include dealing with fastenings such as zips or buttons.
Communicating verbally
This activity is about speaking and being understood, and about listening and understanding. It means speaking and listening in your native language, which may not be English. It includes sign language and text relay, but not Braille.
Reading and understanding signs, symbols and words
This activity is about understanding written or printed information, including signs and symbols, in your native language (which may not be English).
Engaging with other people face-to-face
This activity is about how you get on with other people (people you know and people you don't know). It includes behaving appropriately with other people and understanding how they behave towards you, including whether severe anxiety or stress stops you from doing this. It includes understanding body language and establishing relationships.
Making budgeting decisions
This activity is about your ability to make everyday decisions about spending and managing your money.
Planning and following journeys
This activity is about planning (working out) and following a journey, including using public transport, and whether severe anxiety or distress stops you from being able to go out. It is not about your physical mobility (covered in the mobility activity 'PIP - moving around').
Moving around
This activity is about being able to physically move around, focusing on being able to stand up and walk unaided, without severe discomfort such as breathlessness, pain or fatigue.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
PIP is a UK benefit for people over the age of 16, to help with any additional costs due to having a long-term disability or health condition.
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a UK benefit for people of working age, who cannot work or who have 'limited capability to work' due to illness or disability, and who are not entitled to Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or getting Statutory Sick Pay, or Statutory Maternity Pay.
Benefits
If you have epilepsy you may be eligible to apply for benefits. This depends on what your epilepsy is like and how it affects you.
Taken from our 'PIP - the assessment criteria' factsheet
Download the factsheet
Information produced: July 2019