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ADP daily living component activity 1 - preparing food
Introduction
Daily living component activity 1 – preparing food
This chapter provides information on activity 1 of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment (ADP).
This chapter should be read and applied in line with the overview of decision making, the daily living component introduction and the reliability criteria.
This activity considers an individual’s ability to prepare and cook a simple meal from fresh ingredients. You’ll consider whether:
- the individual uses aids or appliances such as a perching stool, impaired sight utensils etc,
- whether they use a cooker or a microwave,
- and whether they require any help
Meaning of terms
’Cook’ in this section means to heat food at or above waist height on a standard height cooker hob or using a microwave.
’Prepare’ in this section means to make food ready for cooking or eating.
A ’simple meal’ is a one-course meal for one person, using fresh ingredients.
Fresh ingredients include items like vegetables, meat and pasta, but does not include any prepared meals or pre-chopped ingredients.
What daily living component activity 1 considers
Daily living component activity 1 considers an individual’s ability to:
- open packaging
- peel and chop
- transfer a meal on to a plate or into a bowl
- use a microwave oven or cooker hob to cook or heat food
- identify whether food is safe to eat
- hear (if visual indicators such as a flashing light instead of sound could not be used on a kitchen appliance)
What daily living component activity 1 does not consider
Daily living component activity 1 does not consider an individual’s ability to:
- bend
- access food or utensils from cupboards
- move around the kitchen
- hear (if visual kitchen indicators such as a flashing light instead of sound could be used on a kitchen appliance)
- food presentation
- shop for food
- use an oven to cook food
It considers an individual’s ability in a standard kitchen but not in an adapted kitchen that has adaptations, such as a lower height cooker hob, worktop or sink.
If a kitchen has been modified, for example:
- to lower worktop height
- to change knobs on the cooker hob
- to add safety features
You should no longer consider this to be a standard kitchen, and the appropriate descriptor should be applied as if these modifications had not been implemented.
Daily living component activity 1 does not consider:
- an individual’s dietary choices, the nutritional value of their food or the type of food they cook or prepare
- an individual’s ability to carry items around the kitchen or carry food to where it will be eaten. An example of this would be transferring the plate to the kitchen table where the meal is consumed
Consider functional abilities
It’s important that the functional abilities of an individual in preparing food are considered in this activity, and not an individual’s lack of skill or opportunity to learn.
Example
For example, John has dyslexia and has lived at home with his parents throughout his life. His mother does all his cooking for him.
John reports that he could prepare and cook a simple meal but has never learnt.
In this case, while John is not cooking, it’s a choice and there appears to be no reason that would stop him from preparing and cooking a simple meal.
The case manager must instead consider his ability, were he to cook, to carry out the activities.
If an individual cannot cook because they’ve never needed to learn, you should consider:
- the individual’s ability to carry out activities at or above waist height, and
- their cognitive ability to use a cooker hob if shown how
The descriptor should be selected based on which descriptor would apply to the individual, were the individual to carry out the activity.
If the individual does not prepare or cook through choice, rather than necessity, uses everyday objects to assist them for ease rather than necessity or has someone else prepare meals for them through choice rather than necessity then the descriptor should be chosen based on what would apply to them, were they to undertake the activity.
Daily living component activity 1 descriptors
The daily living component activity 1 descriptors describe 6 levels of functional ability to complete the activity.
- can prepare and cook a simple meal unaided.
- needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal.
- cannot cook a simple meal using a conventional cooker but is able to do so using a microwave.
- needs prompting to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal.
- needs supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal.
- cannot prepare and cook food. (ADP regs, Schedule 1 Part 2 - Daily Living Activities, Activity (1))
Consider challenges an individual may live with
When considering this activity and identifying the appropriate descriptor, it’ll be useful to consider the following challenges an individual may live with.
Physical difficulties
Physical difficulties can impact an individual’s ability to:
- chop food
- transfer food from chopping board to pan or pan to plate
- strain food
- stand at the hob unaided
Mental health difficulties
Mental health difficulties can impact an individual’s:
- motivation to prepare and cook
- ability to prepare and cook safely, for example, being able to remember they have food cooking
- perception of the activity, for example, if they are prone to hallucinations
Cognitive difficulties
Cognitive abilities can impact an individual’s:
- understanding of the process of cooking
- ability to sequence stages in the process of cooking
Sensory difficulties
Sensory experience difficulties can impact an individual’s ability to see so that they can prepare and cook food safely.
You should also consider challenges which may impact an individual’s ability to carry out this activity safely, such as:
- a loss of consciousness
- altered consciousness or
- a total loss of awareness and surroundings (such as epileptic seizures)
Aids and appliances
An aid or appliance means any object or device which the individual needs to perform an activity to improve, provide or replace the individual’s impaired mental or physical function.
This can include an object or device which a person without a disability might use for the same function.
An individual may use an aid or appliance to assist them in completing this activity and this may mean that they satisfy daily living component activity 1 descriptor B, which is covered later.
Common aids can include:
- chopping aids
- perching stool
- grip handles
- extended lever kitchen taps
This list is not exhaustive.
You should consider both aids and appliances that:
- an individual uses,
- they could reasonably be expected to wear or use
Consider if an individual needs prompting, supervision or assistance
You’ll also consider if the individual needs prompting, supervision or assistance from another person to complete the activity.
‘Prompting’ means reminding, encouraging or explaining by another person. This does not have to be in the physical presence of the individual.
’Supervision’ means the continuous presence of another person for the purpose of ensuring an individual’s safety. The supervision can be in relation to any risk to the individual’s safety, whether or not the risk directly results from carrying out the activity in question.
’Assistance’ means physical intervention by another person and does not include speech.
You should consider whether the individual could reasonably require prompting, supervision or assistance from another person, in addition to whether they actually receive it.
An individual may be considered to require prompting, supervision or assistance even if it is not available or provided.