PIP Assessment

[Atombomb]

I have my PIP assessment tomorrow over the phone, although I am very grateful, it is causing me a lot of anxiety. I struggled on the phone before BI, much worse now, I forget words and drift off when under pressure. I dont have anyone with me, and this would stress me out even more having two people talking to me at the same time. I have a rough idea what they will ask me but worried I will go blank. Any ideas and advice very much appreciated.

[catrabb1t]

hello Atombomb

these type of things stress me out a lot too.

I ended up shouting at my husband to be quiet (out of frustration and desperation!) as he tried to interject or do sign-language but this was not at all helpful because the phone call took up all of my concentration. I could not flit between the interviewer and him so I do understand your wish to be alone. You will be okay alone.

Make sure you have everything you have around you that you will need. Pen, paper, drink, blanket. If you are using a mobile, at the beginning ask them what do you do if you lose connection, e.g. they might ask you to call a number or they will phone you back.

If there is a knock at the door during your interview and you need to answer it, explain you need a minute to speak to the caller because you are accepting a delivery. If you have mobility problems they cannot see you but can make a judgement on you getting up and walking so be careful here.

These interviews can take a long time but remember it is your interview, not theirs, and you are in control.

If you need an adjustment then you can ask, and you should ask. E.g. you feel drained and tired and need a brain break for a few minutes. The interviewer might expect this given that you have a BI. Perhaps at the 30 minute mark you might want to do this and every 30 minutes....

At the beginning I would tell the interviewer that you feel under-confident in communicating by phone because of your brain injury difficulties and impairments and state what your difficulties are (slower processing hence a slower pace would be welcomed, memory recall not totally accurate e.g. you might miss out important details on the spot, word-finding can be affected, your concentration is not as strong and might need rests, your mind will go blank especially the more tired you get and you will need more time to give a response etc).

I found it very helpful to ask them to repeat the question. I did this quite a lot. it helped me grasp the question. (After the interview I know I missed things out but that is to be expected and I know I had written on my form so I did not worry about this).

I did not feel able to multi-task and use a pen and paper or refer to notes. Notes could give a false impression of your abilities anyway. If there is something you want them to know before the interview finishes then do write a note because at the end they will ask if there is anything you want to add and you can make sure you tell them if you have not already done so.

I would show your emotions as the interview progresses. You might be ok and stay calm throughout. If you start feeling an effect like frustration or being upset then do not be afraid of being authentic. A draw-back of a phone call is that they cannot see you so hearing your change in emotion is no bad thing. if you have anger issues and you recognise you are beginning to feel angry, do your best to state this and explain you find it hard to control your anger when you are pushed beyond your limits. At that stage, you will probably agree on a few minutes break. They might stay on the phone or they might phone you back.

Hopefully my message helps to remove some stress and let you know that being your true self no matter what that is is good enough. If you do worry afterwards then there is a way to contact them and add more, but I am not sure how to do this. If this is one of your worries then you could ask at the end (put it on your notes). For me, I was relieved to have finished it and did not want to contact them again. I ended up lying down on the couch because it was so mentally draining.

My interviewer was kind and pleasant. I got a good outcome too and was awarded PIP (I have other conditions too, but I referred to my brain injury symptoms and difficulties a lot).

[Atombomb in reply to catrabb1t]

catrabb1t, Thankyou so much ,thats a big help and has reassured me a lot. S X

[pinkvision in reply to Atombomb]

Catrabb1t is right. Preparing for interviews make you sound good over the phone. Be YOU with all your anxieties, fears and dysfunctions.

I read somewhere once that people with disabilities try to 'be their best' at interviews and appointments and that is what sticks in the mind of the assessor, so just be YOU.

[catrabb1t in reply to pinkvision]

For most people it feels like a degrading process and a strange one at that because all personal info is asked by a stranger. As you correctly say PV, usually we do our best and mask as much as we can and suffer afterwards. However that strategy is the wrong one for PIP. They need to see how it is. I found it hard to say some of the things I had to say because it felt personal. I also should have added to my reply to Atombomb that stating "I dont know" or "I dont remember" is probably needed. Sometimes I do not say these phrases as I am thinking of an answer in my misty memory. Sometimes the interviewer will move on and if possible it is best to stop that and say you dont know or give an answer.

I also said to them that my responses might not be accurate because I have to rely on my incomplete memory.

[Teazymaid]

I actually thought I had written this as I quite often read back over replies and get to the end and find out it was from me 🤔 I do always agree with what has been written but no idea that I had written it ..

I have just had the same and I have now put In for a ??? ( can’t remember what it’s called) but all I got was 2 points because of bladder control . It is a fight that I didn’t need and feels like it has effected me very badly .. I shouldn’t have done the accessment on my own with notes to help me . I shouldn’t have kept all that I was dealing with to myself and not seeked more help .. I also feel I can’t say anything constructive that will help you because you sound like me and it didn’t go well 😢.

Can you prospone until you have Someone with you and that person actually knows everything about the new you ,,

Whatever the outcome don’t give up seek help and make these people understand what you life is actually like .. Sue x

[catrabb1t in reply to Teazymaid]

Hi sorry to hear it was so bad for you. Pleased you are fighting the outcome.

I agree that some people will benefit from having someone there who can prompt them. Certainly a lot of BI people will need that. I cannot remember if there is a formal process for this to happen at the application stage - is there a section about this? For other people, they will be okay doing it alone, especially if they feel they wrote a lot of detail on the application form because the info is provided already.

PIP is an alien process where a lot of is asked of the person. It really does help if the interviewer goes at the right pace and might also prompt the person (mine did). My opinion is that brain injury has to be emphasised and there should be no expectation that all information can be verbally conveyed at the time of the interview. The BI difficulties make this impossible. Therefore they cannot award on the content of the interview alone. The application form will have more detail.

I hope you get good news following your appeal or whatever it is called.

[catrabb1t in reply to catrabb1t]

sorry i think you have said the outcome of your appeal is not good. is that right? is there another way you can raise to PIP what you have told us here and explain how you had to prepare because could not rely on your memory and this has given a false impression of your capabilities. And that you would have benefitted by having someone with you to prompt you so that you could have provided more information... I can imagine the stress you are under. It is awful.

[Teazymaid in reply to catrabb1t]

I actually thought I would be alright with my notes but they didn’t understand what I was saying or I didn’t say it as it really is .. u find it a lot easier writing what I’m trying to say as I can ask husband how you spell words or a word that I’m trying to find seems easier to write but I get very fed up with that as I can’t spell it or write the wrong letters even at the beginning so spell check isn’t giving me choice 🤪 😢 . I don’t like using the words stressed or anxious as I think it is used to freely but reality has hit me since the pain has got worse that I’m totally crushed by stress and anxiety that I have shown the world that I’m all good and I’m actually in pieces inside .. just can’t find a way forward from this place but hoping the Drs will help me understand what is going on as I think it will help me deal with it rather than want something that is actually impossible 🤔sue

[Shreds]

The first time that a PIP assessment was done I was in a medically induced coma, but some idiot at the other end wrongly assessed that I could wash, get dressed, cook and eat without assistance. Where do they find these people?

By the time I was discharged and out of hospital I was told I was too late (by their inconsiderate rules, which are useless to people with long term recoveries) to appeal it and I would have to go to my MP to challenge stupid govt departments, so I gave up.

A few years later my wife was advised to make new fresh application on my behalf which she did. Luckily she can cope with morons and also got help from an organisation (not sure which one) who came and sat and helped her go through it. I made a brief appearance to prove I was there but that was all. A friend of mine who used to work for CA said never try to go through the process by yourself and how correct she was. At least at this second attempt I did get my PIP.

[catrabb1t in reply to Shreds]

Shreds when you was in a coma and had the PIP assessment, the outcome that is awful. What an injustice and mockery of the process. It is farcical that it happened. It has sent my head spinning!!!

[Nemo24]

It's late notice but is there a friend or family member who could be with you. Think you may have had to elect someone in the paperwork if you need more of an advocate. Give Headway a call this afternoon. They may have suggestions.

[Jodieb73]

make sure you do go blank I put on my best head and really tried they scored me as absolutely brilliant and I now understand the advice is to not be good let them see how hard it is the advice I have been getting is not be good best you have your worst day and by qualified professionals I was very anxious also I’m now waiting for tribunal because my mandatory reconsideration letter came when I was again hospitalised

Good luck and don’t be think that being positive and doing your best is a good thing as far as pip goes