Lupus Canada Advokit

Advocating For Others

Situations may arise when you need to advocate for someone else - often a family member or friend. It can be easier to speak convincingly and enthusiastically for someone other than yourself.

When advocating for someone else, styles and methods of advocacy remain the same. An important difference about advocating for someone else, though, is that you must keep the person involved and informed about everything that will affect him or her.

Always remember that you are speaking for another person, and that you cannot make decisions for that person without making sure they are in agreement. You need to be as clear as possible about the issue at hand. Everything you know about possible problems, regulations, rules and restrictions needs to be passed along.

Empowerment
It can be easy to assume that you know what is best for another person, to convince yourself that you understand what they want. In fact, you may very well be right. But an individual going through the struggle with lupus may already feel powerless and out of control about their body, their health and their life. If the power to understand and make decisions is taken away too, it can be devastating.

Being involved, having a part in whatever is happening, having a say about how services are delivered and how activities are carried out, gives the person with lupus a sense of control. It can, indirectly, affect how well the person deals with their condition, and can even play a part in lessening its effects.

The person you are advocating for may have some ideas and skills that can make your work easier. Partnering with the person in the advocacy process is an excellent way of empowering them.