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Janet, In response to your request for help in filing forms for disability I am forwarding a posting from Gail Vass ( Hope it's OK Gail? ) which I thought had some very effective thoughts to help in choosing the right answers. Good Luck> Gail Vass wrote: I had some thoughts I wanted to share...uh oh... In reference to applying for disability/assistance. I was asked to help a woman fill out the papers for SSDI who had been rejected for SSDI but who obviously should have been accepted. As I looked over the papers she had filled out: I could see why. We began a new form and went down and answered each question one at a time: When asked if could take care of herself and do "Activities of Daily Living (ADL's)", she checked everything "YES". And she was right, she could but she did not give herself credit for all the creative solutions/aides/adjustments she had adapted to because of the disability caused by her illness. I hope ya'll are following me...disability is often gradual and when we adjust slowly and alter behavior to compensate for the change, we may not give ourselves credit for the problem solving that is necessary to do the things we used to do. Examples: 1. Are you able to take your medication...she answered "YES". I said, "tell me what happens when you get a new prescription." She said, "my sister takes it to the pharmacy, brings the meds to me, opens up the bottle of meds (she did not have the hand strenth to open the bottles), my sister comes once a week and prepares my daily doses of meds in a little cup for each day of the week so that I take the right ones. I can't keep them all straight." Are you able to take your medication...I put "NO"...and went on and explained the above....she could not drive, she could not open the bottles, she could not keep the meds straight, or keep up with when to take them without a timer...but...she was able to take her meds. 2. Do you prepare and cook your own meals...she answered YES. I said, "tell me about meals and what foods you eat". She said, "My family got me a microwave oven to use because they felt that with my memory problems, that I shouldn't use the oven/stove any more. I buy frozen TV dinners now so that I won't have pots/pans to carry or won't have to try to use a knife to cut vegtables or meat because I just can't use my hands much any more. When my Mom visits she makes up casserols for me and puts them in the freezer for when I want something different." Do you prepare and cook your own meals...I put "NO"...and went on to explain what was done to make eating/meals possible. I think you get the picture...She bought only clothes with zippers or ones that she could pull over her head because of the trouble she had with buttons and dressing herself...she had documented that she had dressed herself every day. I described how she couldn't dress herself in her usual way and what changes were necessary. She didn't have trouble doing the laundry and caring for her two level home because since she could not do steps any more, family brought her bed, dresser, and anything else she needed and set her bedroom up in her living room so she wouln't be on the steps any more. She had a housekeeper come in twice a month and clean. So I wrote this all up. 3. Did she enjoy her hobbies/leisure time..."YES". I asked her what always had been her favorite things were to do in her free time. She said watches TV now, had to stop gardening and caring for her roses because she was falling in her yard when walking on grass surfaces and she couldn't sew any more. I put..."NO"...unable to do her hobies any more....and explaned what changes had occurred. 4. Did she do her own banking/ paying bills...she said "YES". I explored this with her and found that she had to switch to automatic deposit and automatic utility withdrawals from her checking account because she could not drive at times and because of her illness would miss deadlines. I put ..."NO"...the bank does it for her, she was unable to. So yes, she could do the ADL's as far as she was concerned but from an outsiders perspective from a standpoint of disability, as she was functioning objectively, she could not do the ADL's anymore and was truely disabled by her illness. She was pretty upset with me about what I was writing down. She said, "You are making me look so disabled...I don't want to think of myself that way. I'm not complaining, I am thankful for all that I can do. I'm luckier than most people. I don't like to think of the way things used to be, I just focus on now and try to keep positive." I told her the glass that is seen as half full, won't get the disability awarded to it...it's the glass that is half empty that needs to and should get the disability assistance. We sent the papers in...she was approved. Gail Vass