Follow us: hu Improving life after brain injury Need to talk? 0808 800 2244 Donate Home About brain injury Individuals Brain injury and me Amanda Horton Share your story Share your story with us to help others affected by brain injury Amanda Horton The assessment just doesn’t work, it doesn’t get to the truth. Amanda Horton has been a full-time carer for her husband Alan since he suffered a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage in 2006. Amanda, who lives in Lincoln, was left very frustrated and stressed by the process of helping Alan apply for the Personal Independent Payment. “The assessment was very stressful for me as a full-time carer and very negative for my husband. The emotional impact of going over and over the long list of things he cannot achieve and needs help with is quite harsh,” recalled Amanda. Since his brain injury, 63-year-old Alan struggles with a number of issues including memory, cognitive issues and a lack of motivation. He also struggles to communicate when around groups of people or in noisy environments. Although Amanda supplied the Department for Work and Pensions with numerous medical documents from health professionals, none of the information was taken into account and she was very unhappy with the assessor’s level of understanding of brain injury. She said: “We made sure to provide lots of medical information from Alan’s consultant and physio but it was all ignored. It made me feel so cross, what a complete waste of time to go to efforts of getting it. “An acquired brain injury is very complex and uniquely personal. The person who conducts the assessment needs to be a specialist in that area so that the right decision can be made and the correct questions asked.” The assessors incorrectly judged that Alan could do complex reading. Amanda said: “Just because he is able to read newspaper articles he was assessed as being able to do complex reading. He reads purely for his own pleasure and nobody ever tested him to find out if he understood or remembered any of it. For instance, when reading post, he reads something completely different to how it is.” The assessors also judged that Alan was able to make complex budgeting decisions based on the fact he knows the value of money and change, a decision that amazed Amanda. She said: “He is totally unable to deal with household bills, look after his bank card or wallet, as he never knows where things are. Alan's issues with memory, cognitive problems and a lack of motivation were not taken into account in the PIP assessment “In shops he often walks away without remembering to pick up his change. The assessment just doesn’t work, it doesn’t get to the truth.” Back to stories index Right First Time The Right First Time campaign is calling on the government to bring in changes to the disability benefit assessments which currently fail a large number of brain injury survivors and their families. Find out more Get it Right First Time, charity urges Find out more Welfare benefits A brain injury is likely to have an effect on a family's finances, and claiming benefits can help to ease the pressure. Find out more Related resources Friends of Headway Individual membership Join/Renew Contact Us t: 0115 924 0800 e: enquiries@headway.org.uk Help us improve life after brain injury. Donate Improving life after brain injury 0808 800 2244 Call our free helpline 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday. Or email helpline@headway.org.uk Join our online Community 27k Likes 25k Followers 3k Subscribers Privacy policy Cookies Terms & Conditions Accessibility Contact Us Resource centre Find a Headway Approved care providers Charity shops Fundraising comments, feedback and complaints Vacancies Join our mailing list Headway - the brain injury association is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity no. 1025852) and the Office of the Scottish Regulator (Charity no. SC 039992). Headway is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England no. 2346893. © Copyright Headway 2021 - Site designed and developed by MEDIAmaker By clicking 'Accept All Cookies’ you agree to the storing of cookies on your device. This will help us to offer the best possible experience and develop more of the information you need. Accept All Cookies Cookies Settings