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SECTION 2— ATTENTION needs (continued)
- · Remember any indirect needs too - ‘It’s not enough for my brother to tell me
to change - he has to run the bath and find clean clothes for me... otherwise I
just don’t bother.’
- · Don’t limit yourself to the exact questions they ask on the forms - e.g. you
may need encouragement NOT to be so active/ wash over-regularly etc. If in
doubt, put it in - on a separate piece of paper if needs be! What you’re aiming
at is as comprehensive as possible a picture of how your difficulties affect
you. Completed forms aren’t right or wrong, it’s just that some are more
‘complete’ than others!
- · When physical difficulties are involved, describe any pain, slowness or
unsteadiness involved even if you manage the task without help. Detail any ways
in which physical and mental problems impact on each other e.g. - ‘when I’m ‘up’
I charge around without stopping and my angina gets a lot worse’.
- · Help with communication with other people now counts towards DLA and AA and
there’s a whole page on the forms devoted to the sorts of difficulties you might
have. Many mental health problems result in communication difficulties - don’t
forget to include things like being anxious about answering the phone or opening
and dealing with the post, fear of strangers, lack of self confidence, anxiety,
etc. You might also want to mention the therapeutic value of being able to
socialise, etc. and the negative impact of isolation on your mental health
problems.
- · The questions at the end of the form about where you would go or what you
would do if you had the help you needed can seem a bit odd at first—for one
thing there’s very little space—don’t be afraid to add more paper if you need
to! Basically they’re there because it’s now recognised that people with mental
health problems have a right to have hobbies and a social life too! Even if you
don’t have the support to do these things now, try to think of what you once
enjoyed doing, or would like to do in the future with support.
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