Daily living component activity 10 descriptor C (4 points)
Needs prompting or assistance to be able to make simple budgeting decisions.
Who it applies to
Daily living component activity 10 descriptor C is most likely to apply to an individual with needs relating to a cognitive condition.
Prompting means reminding, encouraging or explaining by another person. Assistance means undertaking an element(s) of the decision making required for the activity.
An example of an individual who may satisfy daily living component activity 10 descriptor C is an individual who is able to add up the costs of items but needs assistance to work out how much change they will be given from the money they have to buy them.
Example: an individual with dyscalculia, who satisfies daily living component activity 10 descriptor C
Application form
Maxwell has dyscalculia, which was diagnosed when he was at school. He studied English at university and has a career as an author. He describes himself as “terrible with numbers”.
He has a letter from an educational psychologist he saw when he was at university which outlines his difficulties in understanding numbers and performing simple arithmetic.
In his Adult Disability Payment (ADP) application, he explains that when he is shopping, he’s unable to do any arithmetic. He does his own shopping and understands the concept of money.
Although he cannot add up the cost of items he’s buying, Maxwell can roughly estimate whether he’s likely to have enough money in his account to cover what he’s buying. He would not, however, know whether he’s been given the right change, or if he’s been overcharged.
Maxwell’s partner organised a small free overdraft facility on their shared account, because he sometimes misjudges whether there is enough money in the account. His partner also looks after the bills and will check the bank account regularly.
Maxwell is not able to use a calculator to add up the cost of things because he often reverses the figures in a number, i.e., will input 25 instead of 52 and will not realise that the sum is incorrect.
Case manager’s decision
As Maxwell’s unable to understand numbers sufficiently to add up the cost of items or calculate the change he should receive, the case manager determines that he needs assistance to make simple budgeting decisions and so, satisfies descriptor C.