Kenneth, a man in his early 60’s, had been diagnosed three months ago with multiple myeloma. Kenneth’s medical care was progressing and he had no insurance coverage issues.
On his own, Kenneth had recently completed an application for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments but felt uncertain about what to do next, whether he should send it in then or wait until he was unemployed longer. He had a toll free number he could call, but he felt confused and overwhelmed by the thought of this phone call, so he contacted a patient advocate. After talking with the advocate, Kenneth also admitted he was also having difficulties talking to his adult children about being sick.
A patient advocate helped Kenneth understand that it can take a long time to get approved for SSDI and that the sooner he sent in his completed application, the better. His advocate offered to call the Social Security office with him.
His advocate also introduced Kenneth to Pathways to Empowerment, where he learned tangible skills to talk with his teenage children. Kenneth reported, “I feel much more prepared to talk with my kids now - it still won’t be easy, but I know I can do it.”
