One of my long-term problems has been information retention. Depending on the level of emotion required to deal with the situation, i will unlikely be able to recall the conversation's content (as it applies to me!) after the fact. It's worse now, of course, and so it has been vital for me to identify when i need to take someone with me to an appointment. You know - not hair appt. but doctor's appt. I don't need someone to watch Mario wash my hair but i'll be damned if i'm going to a specialist by myself. I have learned to look out for and recruit the individuals i need to be my advocate when i need one.

Advocacy is a special gift. The Advocate knows in advance the issues at hand. They have listened carefully to the individual's concerns in order to communicate them to the doctor if the individual forgets or is unable to mention them. The Advocate will bring up other questions which have not been mentioned. The Advocate will take note of all the follow-up recommendations the doctor has suggested. The Advocate will review and interpret the entire visit with the individual.