On Crutches - How Can I Be Expected To Cook A Meal?

[Arrods]

Currently at odds with DWP. The requirement is that you must be able independently to prepare/cook a simple meal for one using fresh ingredients (and safely). OH has been on two crutches for over a year. We have argued that she has needed my assistance to fulfil such tasks. How else is one expected to move things around the kitchen (safely) with no hands free?

Have any ABers experienced life on two crutches and managed independently to cook meals? DWP argue that they don't have to allow for carrying items around the kitchen or carrying the cooked meal to where it is to be eaten, so tough luck.

If any ABers can come up with practical and safe ideas as to cooking meals under these conditions, then we'll reluctantly concede the point, but I would welcome your views. Many thanks.

[Gavmacp]

I have found them to be tiresome and very rude!

[Dizmo]

Is this regarding PIP payments?

[Gavmacp]

On a practical level you could get a letter from an occupational therapist to say that she needs help.

[Dizmo]

Or should I say, PI Payments.

[pixie373]

What- ABers?
Is she able to stand independently at all, arrods? Difficult to say without knowing what she is able to do.

[wolf63]

It could be argued that you are able to cook for both of you. Has that been mentioned to you.

Is it DLA or the modern version of it that she is trying to claim? Has she had a decision on her claim and made an appeal against their decision?

Have you tried getting help from CAB?

I worked for DWP for a while and should understand the benefit system - but various aspects confuse me these days.

[Gavmacp]

Oh! If you want to be clever though I would not recommend that I would put definitely not but willing to be assessed by OT to see what equipment they could provide to help.

[Mamyalynne]

Is your OH still undergoing treatment? She could enquire about aids to help - a perching seat/stool helped me when I was incapacitated in a similar way.

[Dizmo]

If you can't apply for careers allowance then get your OH to apply for Personal Independence Payments. You could use that money to pay for meals on wheels. She has to be claiming benefit in order to claim PIP though (ESA not JSA).

[jourdain2]

Immediately after hip replacement op. I could managed peeling and chopping veg. etc. - sitting down. We even managed Xmas dinner - but OH had to do all the lifting and moving of heavy/hot pans etc.. I bought a bar stool and that made things a lot easier, but trying to do other than the equivalent of salads/eggs on toast on my own would have been dangerous. I did manage all sorts of things (spag. bol.etc) but needed help.

[wired]

When my aged father had this problem occupational therapist advised the use of a wheeled trolley !, not to sit on.

[Postdog]

I have a brain tumour. Benign and technically operable but at the high risk of doing further damage and totally disabling me if they did, so it is left.

I can't work at all because I suffer badly from weakness and dizziness, and the argument I used with PIP was that it was dangerous for me to try, which they accepted...basically an accident waiting to happen.

Never been on crutches but I honestly would have thought that hobbling round having to balance and move things about, hot things at that involving fire too, was also dangerous.

Sorry not more help but good luck.

[Postdog]

Just read up there you have to be claiming benefits to get PIP. You don't. ..you just have to qualify for disability, and disability that is unlikey to improve over time.

I could not get any benefits when I tried to anyway.

[RATTER15]

Carakeel has always managed to cook meals when on two crutches, she uses a perching stool if unable to stand long enough and a wheeled walker for moving things around, its not easy but she has always managed ok, sometimes she just leans one crutch against a work top to free up one hand if she needs it and supports herself by leaning on the work surface.

[Arrods]

Thanks all. Here's some more detail which perhaps I should have included to save you all time - sorry about that.

Yes this is about a PIP claim involving OH. OH is getting better but for the period in question was only able to move about on two crutches. We claimed 4 points for 'Needs assistance to prepare or cook a simple meal for one using fresh ingredients'. The 'assistance' was from yours truly.

We are currently at Tribunal stage. CAB have been helpful up to a point but just wished us good luck in persuading the Tribunal that OH cannot cook etc without assistance. We are trying to get help from a health professional to express a view on whether anyone on two crutches can safely cook etc without assistance. Apparently, as mentioned in original post, DWP ignore the fact that, although OH can do some of the tasks using a perching stall, how one transfers items around the kitchen to complete the task without assistance is not taken into account.

Thanks again for your comments. If you have any further thoughts these would be welcomed. (Ratter15 I note your comments but just wonder how the person managed to cook etc safely, which is what the PIP regulations specify.)

[RATTER15]

Well Arrods, that really depends what your definition of "safely" is, to my knowledge she has not harmed herself or anybody else whilst cooking , bar the burn that any other cook may get, and she has been doing this for years. she avoids using heavy cook ware for sure, occasionally she has asked for my help to lift things, bit if I wasnt around, she would have cooked in smaller pans and managed. She just gets on with it. Im not saying that everybody on two crutches can do all this, its also depending what other disabilities the person has as well. Thankfully, Carakeel no longer needs crutches but I am sure that will change again in the future.

[RATTER15]

Please don't think Im saying it was easy for her, it wasn't, she struggled and got frustrated but she coped and she cooked me roast dinners.