Asthma and PIP: washing, bathing and dressing
A practical video guide to describing how asthma affects washing and dressing, including breathlessness, safety, pauses, recovery time and help from another person.
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PIP considers the effect, not just the diagnosis
Having an asthma diagnosis does not by itself show how a PIP activity is affected. Your application should explain what happens when you wash, bathe, dress or undress, what support you need, and whether you can complete the activity reliably.
Describe your own typical experience rather than copying an example. Relevant details may include breathlessness, coughing, fatigue, dizziness, the need to sit or pause, how long the activity takes, and how you feel afterward—but only where they are true for you.
Washing and bathing
- Whether steam, heat or exertion affects your breathing.
- Whether you need to sit, take breaks, use an aid or have supervision.
- Any safety difficulty getting into, using or leaving a bath or shower.
- How often difficulties happen and how long recovery takes.
Dressing and undressing
- Whether bending, reaching or raising your arms causes breathlessness.
- Whether you dress while sitting or need pauses between items.
- Any prompting, physical help or supervision you receive.
- The time taken and whether you can repeat the activity when needed.
Use a six-part real example
Record the activity, what you tried to do, the difficulty that occurred, any help or aid you needed, what happened as a result, and how often it happens. This creates a specific account without exaggerating or assuming that asthma affects everybody in the same way.
Evidence and preparation
Evidence may help explain your asthma and treatment, but it is also useful to connect it clearly with the daily difficulty you describe. Relevant material could include treatment information, prescription records, care plans, professional reports or a diary of symptoms and day-to-day effects. Use only evidence that applies to your circumstances.