Keeping a diary when you apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

When you fill in the PIP application form, you have to say how much help you need to do some every day things.

You might find it helpful to keep a diary of how much help you need to do these things every day for 2 weeks:

• making a snack or a meal

• eating and drinking

• looking after your health condition and taking medication

• washing and bathing or having a shower

• going to the toilet or managing your incontinence 

  Incontinence is when you can not make it to the toilet in time.

• getting dressed and undressed

• talking and listening to other people and understanding what they are saying

• reading

• being with other people

• looking after and spending your money

• planning how to get somewhere and getting there

• moving around.

Write down how much help you needed.  Help might be special equipment to make it easier to do something.  

Help might be someone reminding you to do something.

Write down if it was easy or difficult to do the things. 

Write down if doing any of the things made you feel tired, worried or upset.

Write down if you had to stop doing any of the things, or if you could not do them and why.

You might want to send a copy of the information from your diary with your PIP application.

You do not have to share any personal information from your diary unless you want to.

Thank you to British Gas Energy Trust for funding.