Daily living component activity 5 descriptor D (4 points)
Needs assistance to be able to manage toilet needs.
Who it applies to
Daily living component activity 5 descriptor D is most likely to apply to an individual who has needs relating to physical and/or cognitive conditions.
Daily living component activity 5 descriptor D may apply to an individual who needs assistance to complete any part of the following process of managing their toilet needs:
- to get on and off the toilet
- to evacuate the bladder and bowel
- to clean themselves afterwards.
Who it does not apply to
Daily living component activity 5 descriptor D is usually unlikely to apply to an individual who needs assistance due to incontinence.
Where an individual who needs assistance is also incontinent, a case manager may consider a higher descriptor for daily living component activity 5 (descriptor E or F) appropriate.
Example: an individual with fibromyalgia, who satisfies daily living component activity 5 descriptor D
Application form
Pat has fibromyalgia and completed her Adult Disability Payment (ADP) application form, although she notes that it took a few days because she’s tired all the time and sleeps a lot.
She has a letter from an occupational therapist that shows she was prescribed a handrail for her bathroom to help her stand but that this was removed because, with the weakness and pain in her arms and legs, she was unable to use it effectively.
In her application form, she explains that she needs help from her sister, whom she lives with, to stand up from the toilet now that she cannot use her arms or the handrail to push herself up to standing. She notes that she is not incontinent.
Case manager’s decision
As Pat has difficulty standing and needs the help of another person, she needs assistance to perform this activity in a timely and acceptable manner.
The case manager determines that Pat satisfies daily living component activity 5 descriptor D, because of the assistance she requires from another person to stand up from the toilet.