Don't know if anyone can help with this or has experienced anything similar...

Had a couple of DLA tribunals recently where either the medical or disability member has suggested, with varying degrees of forcefullness, that my client could use incontinece aids to obviate the need for attention with toilet needs. Both I'm waiting on a statement of reasons on, but having thought about both, I've come to the conclusion that I'd benefit from being in a position where I was better placed to refute suggestions that certain aids could be used.

Suppose what I'm getting at is finding out precisely how some incontinence aids work and precisely what level of functional ability one might need to use the same without assistance. Examples;

1) Client suffers night-time incontinence to the level bed-sheets soaked even with the use of pads. Client has had double hip replacement meaning that she cannot lift mattress herself to change sheets (degree of bending involved riks dislocation/deterioration of replacement hips). Tribunal suggested she could use draw sheet. However, her bedroom is of a size where one side of the bed has to be placed against the wall. Can a draw sheet be secured (so that turning in the night will not dislodge it) in such circumstances. I simply don't know...

2) Client not incontinent, but back problems to the degree that she cannot clean herself properly after passing faeces. Tribunal asserted she can use a sponge. When asked precisely how this will work I was faced with silence - so they're stuck on that one once I get the statement. Still, I'd have liked to be in a position where I was already able to argue this wasn't a goer.

Any resources/training out there?

An update on this;

I've made contact with Disabled Living, a national charity that advise on disability and aids and adaptations. They have a specialist incontinence department that does offer training. At present they don't offer training on the specific question I'm interested in - the degree of functional ability required to use specific incontinence aids without assistance from another person. But they are prepared to put this together. The incontinence department has a specialist/qualified occupational therapist that delivers the training, so it's fair to assume that they'll be able to offer something fairly authoratitive...

At the moment I've got no further than discussing with them the cost (£500-£700 if delivered in London - they're Manchester based) and general areas the training might cover. So, two questions.....

1) Is it just me - or would other reps/advisors be interested in this? Cost between £40-£50. At the moment I'm only after an indication of those who might want to attend a central(ish) London training - people in other parts of the country, you could do the same as I'm doing and contact Disabled Living yourselves.

2) Any specific issues/areas/questions you'd like the training to cover. Feed into this one regardless of where you are.

Cheers.

225 views when I made the post above - now 367.

Anyone care to suggest an explanation? Is it just me that is experiencing this problem with tribunals? Are other w/rights workers quietly laughing up their sleeves and thinking "Surely everyone knows this stuff?"

Or are we just too embarassed to talk about it?

I haven't had any direct experience of this at tribunal, but would usually have regard to the question before then anyway so I could deal with it if it comes up. That wouldn't stop it becoming an issue, but for some reason AA appeals (with which I would associate the majority of incontinence issues) hardly ever come along any more.

I think the same things apply to every area of disability where assistance could be gained from 'aids and adaptations'. For example, some tribunals are particularly fond of thier knowledge of kitchen utensils for disabled people.

Where incontinence issues have come up in cases that I've dealt with, it's only been as one part of the overall disability, and probably not that significant.

Maybe it's just one or two members with their own experience to fall back on. I remember many years ago a DLA presenting officer who walked with a stick. She'd sometimes forward the view, in mobility cases, "because I can manage, so should you", to tribunals. Fortunately, her manner wasn't great so tended not to get sympathetic responses from the chair!

A lot of people have pre/misconvieved views about lots of this kind of thing, and I guess tribunal members are no exception...

Tony