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Home Assessment by Adult Care

wildlife
wildlife Community member Posts: 1,293 Pioneering
edited June 2017 in Aids, adaptations, and equipment
Hi, I'm basically writing this to let off steam but any advice or comments would be welcome. About 4 months ago I phoned the council asking for an OT to do a home assessment on me. Finally I had a call and a lady from the Adult Care Team came out to see me. She is not an OT and as far as I know is just an ordinary council employee. No information about her qualifications to do the assessment were given to me. On her 1st visit she was really nice and took me through how I do things suggesting equipment that could help. A week or so later 6 things were delivered. The same lady came back to check everything and see what adjustments needed making. She had turned into a dragon or I could compare her to a PIP assessor. She followed me out of the living room as if checking how I walked and quite nastily insisted she had to see me using the equipment. Now comes the worst part. My shower is over the bath with curtains all the way round. I'd been given a shower board about 2 feet wide to rest across the top of the bath. She made me sit on it with my legs outside and swing them over one at a time. I was anxious to show her I could not do this. After forcing me to do this 3 times till I just managed to get them over I told her it was pointless as the board caused the curtains not to close tightly so the bathroom would be flooded. The outcome of this is that the board is going back to Mediquip and I'm left with awful pains in both hips caused by what she made me do. Can I insist on having a properly trained OT if I need a further assessment? Any thoughts please.... 
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Comments

  • Matilda
    Matilda Community member Posts: 2,593 Disability Gamechanger
    edited June 2017
    @wildlife

    I'm sorry to hear this. Unfortunately, I can't help as I have had no dealings with OT.  After reading your account above, I am pleased that I have not tried to get 'help' from OT.

    I think that you are seeking help from an OT as further evidence of your disabilities, so you need an assessment by an OT?  

    At my assessment and later at the tribunal, respectively the paramedic and then the disability person asked if I selected the aids I use myself or was I advised (they meant by OT).  I replied that I chose for myself.

    Even the Atos assessor accepted that it was permissible for me to choose my own aids rather than be assessed by an OT and I was awarded two points in several categories for using aids, increased by the tribunal to four points for food preparation - which put my daily living points up to 13.

    I know you don't want to go to tribunal - but the disability person at mine was sympathetic, as was the judge.
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  • wildlife
    wildlife Community member Posts: 1,293 Pioneering
    @Matilda, Thank-you for taking the time to reply. Yes I was trying to get evidence for my DL score and she sent me a copy of her report which I had to ask for before she returned. This says that My husband helps me to prepare veg, put things in and out of the oven and is generally there to do anything needed. She also sort of said he helps my get in and out of the bath but also said a bath transfer board may help with this instead. I was waiting for her to return and did manage to convince her the board wouldn't work but I gathered she had no intention of changing the report. She also stated I enjoyed short walks in my locality which I don't do and don't go out alone. I don't remember saying that and you know how DWP would twist it to mean I am able to go out walking alone whenever I like. This is written on the front page with my name proving it's my report so am in a quandary whether to risk using the report either now or in the future as evidence. As I'm due for assessment a year next April (scary thought) I'll probably use it with other strong evidence that I can't walk without pain which is true. I have arranged for the board and the raised toilet seat to be sent back to Mediquip and a friend has helped me choose a more suitable raised seat with a lid so yes I'll be choosing my own aids from now on.
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  • Matilda
    Matilda Community member Posts: 2,593 Disability Gamechanger
    @wildlife

    You can decide when you come up for reassessment whether to use the council worker's report.
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