Hi, my name is coliz!

coliz

I have just got my letter inviting me to apply for PIP allowance, at the moment I have a mobility car, my husband drives me. I am 65, I was a teacher and had to give up work, after I had a stroke at 59 which weakened my right side, although I can walk a bit, I cannot use my hand to hold things. I have a tremor in my left hand and find day to day activities becoming harder. I have since been diagnosed with AF, cerebellar ataxia and arthritis of the spine which makes me more prone to falling, my speech is also affected. I try to do simple exercises which seem to help my balance. I don’t think I will qualify for a car under PIP, the descriptors seem very limited. I no longer see the same doctor,my assigned doctor doesn’t seem very approachable. I am due to see the spinal consultant next month for the MRI results. Will any of those findings be taken into account? I was awarded DLA indefinitely so I didn’t always keep DWP informed of my worsening health conditions, I always thought I would improve if I kept up the exercises. I also can’t physically fill in the pip form, my husband finds any paper work very stressful, in the past The Princess Royal Trust has helped me , but our local one has now closed, I live near Reading do you know any charities in this area that would help.

Chris_Alumni

Hi @coliz, I've moved your post to our benefits advisors' section as they may be able to advise you. With regards to help filling in the form, Citizen's Advice may be able to help - see the below from their website:

Getting free help from a support agency 
If you’re having problems and need help filling in the form, you can contact your local Citizens Advice in England and Wales or in Scotland. They can help you fill in the form and give you advice on:
what the questions mean and what they're asking for
what sort of things you can say on the form and what you can leave out

• what to do if you find it difficult to fill in the form because of your disability or health condition

You can also get help from your local disability or mental health support agency. Find:

• disability support agencies in England and Wales

• disability support agencies in Scotland

• mental health charities in England and Wales 

• mental health charities in Scotland 

"

BenefitsTrainingCo

Hi Coliz

We tend to say that it is really important to claim PIP when invited to do so, even if you are unsure whether you will be entitled. This is partly because if you submit a claim your DLA continues until the PIP application has been decided, if you don't the DLA will stop a lot sooner. Also, the only way you can find out if you are entitled is to make a claim and go through the decision making process, stressful as it can be.

When applying for PIP it is helpful to have a good idea of the criteria involved. There are some really useful resources on the Scope website here. The Disability Rights UK guide here is particularly helpful in terms of understanding the criteria and filling out the form. The section on completing an activity "reliably" is really important.

I agree with Chris that your local Citizens Advice office should be able to help with form filling or may be able to point you in the direction of another local service. But you shouldn't delay starting the claim which you have to do over the phone to the PIP claimline on 0800 917 2222.

Best wishes
David