PIP Activity 6: Dressing and Undressing - Complete Scoring Guide

Activity 6 covers dressing and undressing, including putting on and taking off socks, shoes, and any item of clothing. This is PIP2 Question 8. The key is that it includes ALL clothing - not just pulling a t-shirt over your head.

The Descriptors and Points

a. Can dress and undress unaided - 0 points.

b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to dress or undress - 2 points. Long-handled shoe horn, sock aid, button hook, dressing stick, velcro shoes, elasticated waistbands replacing buttons and zips. If you have adapted your wardrobe to avoid difficult fastenings, that IS using an aid.

c. Needs prompting to dress or undress - 2 points. Someone reminds you to get dressed, or motivates you when depression makes you unable to care. Common with mental health conditions.

d. Needs assistance to dress or undress their lower body - 2 points. Help with trousers, socks, shoes, underwear. Very common with back pain, hip problems, and mobility conditions.

e. Needs assistance to dress or undress their upper body - 4 points. Help with bras, tops, coats. Common with shoulder problems, spinal fusion, and severe pain.

f. Cannot dress or undress at all - 8 points.

What People Miss

Choosing appropriate clothing - if you cannot choose weather-appropriate clothing due to cognitive difficulties, this affects the activity. Wearing summer clothes in winter because you cannot process the decision is a sign of needing prompting.

Lower body includes socks and shoes - many people can put on a loose t-shirt but cannot bend to put on socks or tie shoelaces. That is descriptor d (2 points minimum). If you wear slip-on shoes because you cannot tie laces, you are using an adaptation.

Time taken - if getting dressed takes you 30-45 minutes instead of 10, the reasonable time criterion fails. You should be scored as if you cannot do it.

Pain during or after - if dressing causes significant pain that prevents you from doing other activities afterwards, it is not being done safely or to an acceptable standard.