Daily living component activity 1 descriptor E (4 points)
Needs supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal.
Meaning
Supervision’ means the continuous presence of another person for the purposes of ensuring the safety of an individual.
‘Assistance’ means physical intervention by another person and does not include speech. Assistance involving speech is considered in daily living component activity 7 (communicating verbally).
Who it applies to
Daily living component activity 1 descriptor E may apply to an individual who:
- requires supervision to safely prepare or cook food, using a cooker hob or microwave oven
- is unable to prepare vegetables without supervision or assistance, even with an aid or appliance
- is unable to determine whether food is safe to eat, for example, that meat is properly cooked because of a sensory experience condition or cognitive ability
- is at significant risk of harm from knives etc., due to a mental health difficulty, e.g. visual or auditory hallucinations
You may consider that an individual can be involved in some part of the activity but not be able to complete all of it without assistance or supervision. For example:
- An individual, whose needs relate to their cognitive abilities, who can stir and mix but is unable to follow the remaining steps involved in cooking a simple meal, or keep themselves safe during the process
- An individual with arthritis, who has a range of movement in their arms and shoulders that allows them to stir, but it is insufficient to chop and peel or transfer food, even with aids being available to them
Example: An individual with rheumatoid arthritis, who satisfies daily living component activity 1 descriptor E
Application form
Judith has rheumatoid arthritis that affects her:
- hands,
- wrists,
- shoulders and
- neck.
She takes specialist medication every day and visits the hospital every 6 weeks for an injection.
Her rheumatology doctor has sent a medical report, which shows that she has very limited hand movements and stiffness in her fingers means her ability to grip things in either hand is greatly reduced.
Her Adult Disability Payment (ADP) application form shows that when she’s making a meal for herself, although she's able to hold a big wooden spoon to stir things in a pan, she relies on her daughter to chop up big batches of vegetables for her to use through the week. She sometimes uses frozen mixed vegetables, if her daughter has not done the chopping and peeling at the weekend.
She fills the pan by using a jug and doing it a little bit at a time. By doing this, she’s able to cook vegetables and rice, and will make simple meals for herself.
The arthritis in Judith’s hands means she’s unable to use aids well enough to prepare vegetables for cooking. She has some movement in her hands that allows her to cook a meal at waist height but needs some help with preparation.
Case manager’s decision
The case manager determines that Judith satisfies daily living component activity 1 descriptor E because of the assistance that her daughter gives her in the preparation of the meal.
When her daughter is not there, the chopped vegetables provide the same assistance, because they are already cut up for her.
Example: An individual who is blind, who satisfies daily living component activity 1 descriptor E
Application form
Jeremy is registered blind and has an assistance dog.
His ADP application was filled in online by the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. He said the answers and they wrote on the form for him. They also included his certificate of blindness with the application.
In his application, it says that he tries his best to cook food for himself at home and tends to use the microwave to heat meals. He puts everything in the microwave for 5 minutes and then tests to see if it’s hot enough.
He’s unable to read the instructions on the packet to know how long to cook his food for.
His application explains that he can chop vegetables up himself by feel. However, he has on occasion dropped food on the floor and been unable to find it, which has caused him to slip or trip. He said that because he uses his hand to test if food is cooked, he’s sometimes burned himself.
Case manager’s decision
As Jeremy’s unable to safely prepare his ingredients, he’d require an aid. But because of his difficulties in determining whether food is cooked or not, noted by the unsafe manner he’s currently adopting, he requires another person to help him with this.
Although reading instructions is not considered in this activity, the ability to know if food is cooked is considered in the ability to meet the acceptable standard criteria.
The case manager determines that Jeremy satisfies daily living component activity 1 descriptor E, because of his need for assistance from another person to be able to cook a simple meal.
Example: An individual with schizophrenia, who satisfies daily living component activity 1 descriptor E
Application form
Simon has schizophrenia and experiences paranoid delusions. His ADP application form was completed by his mother, who has also sent a letter from his psychiatrist.
The letter outlines one of Simon’s delusions: that he has been implanted with a tracking device by the government. He’s previously been hospitalised after cutting both of his arms deliberately, to ‘get the devices out’.
His mother writes in the application form that all sharp knives are locked away in the kitchen, and that Simon’s only allowed to use them if someone else is in the kitchen with him, to make sure he does not harm himself again.
Case manager’s decision
As Simon has a risk of self-harm by cutting himself with a knife, he needs someone to watch him all the time while he’s preparing and cooking a meal to make sure that he does not cut himself again.
The case manager determines that Simon satisfies daily living component activity 1 descriptor E, because of the need for supervision by another person to maintain Simon’s safety.
Example: An individual with Down’s Syndrome, who satisfies daily living component activity 1 descriptor E
Application form
Rachel has Down’s Syndrome. Her ADP application form was completed by her support worker, who she sees every day at the day centre. They’ve also written a letter in support of her application.
In the letter, it says that Rachel really enjoys making cakes at the day centre but has to be watched all the time, because she does not understand the dangers in the kitchen.
The letter says that she once burned her hand when she tried to take a cake out of the oven without wearing oven gloves.
Her application shows she’s able to prepare ingredients, such as breaking an egg and squeezing a lemon, but because of her difficulty in recognising hazards, she has to be watched.
Case manager’s decision
As Rachel is unable to cook safely, she needs the presence of another person to ensure her safety, even though she can perform some of this activity.
The case manager determines that Rachel satisfies daily living component activity 1 descriptor E because whilst she could likely prepare a meal with prompting, she also requires supervision to keep her safe from hazards in the kitchen, like naked flames or hot implements.
Example: An individual living with absence seizures, who satisfies daily living component activity 1 descriptor E
Application form
Pippa experiences absence seizures. This means that she can become unaware of her surroundings and performs automatic movements.
She completed her ADP application herself and has also sent a letter from her neurologist. The letter from her neurologist shows her automatic movements include smacking her lips together and banging her hands against her legs.
She reports that when she has a seizure, she often continues what she is doing without realising. She does not get any warnings of her seizures.
Pippa includes an example in her application form of a time when she was making herself some cheese on toast. She thought she was being extra careful by using an aid to help her to slice the cheese so that there were no exposed blades, but she started to have a seizure. When she came round later, she had caused cuts on her hands because she was holding the aid throughout.
Her neurologist letter gives another example, where she was making some food in the microwave and had an absence seizure without knowing. Because of her disorientation and lack of awareness, she took the hot bowl straight out of the microwave and burned her hand badly.
Case manager’s decision
As Pippa is at risk of harm due to her altered state of consciousness, she needs someone to watch her all the time when preparing a meal to make sure she is safe.
Although she’s physically able to perform all of this activity, there’s a proven and significant risk of harm if she were to try to do this alone.
The case manager determines that Pippa satisfies daily living component activity 1 descriptor E because she needs someone supervising her during the entire activity to make sure she remains safe.