News flash: Thoughtful storm observers already spend time helping physically challenged people.
But, often these caring observers want to assist even more but just don’t know how. Helping physically challenged people can be as simple as a phone call letting them know they are remembered or as involved as weekly assistance or as expensive as investing in adaptive equipment. We dwellers can also be observers, so we need ideas too.
Five real-life experiences:
- Ongoing time and effort: A friend incapacitated by fibromyalgia, a painful condition, shared this: “We have a neighbor who has been a friend for over 50 years. She brings us dinner at least once a week. Her visits have been comforting too.” What a friend!
- Not much time, but ongoing involvement: A friend of mine, herself with invisible disabilities, frequently emails me just asking how I’m doing that day. Being remembered means so much!
- Intensive endeavor: Another friend with a terminal illness has a son who has put his life on hold to live with her and be her caregiver.
- Occasional time and effort: Years ago, when my husband was a pastor and I was sidelined by pain, weakness, and fatigue, the ladies of our church would get together in the spring and thoroughly clean our house. An investment of a few hours, but what a difference it made for us!
- Requires money: Years ago, I read of a church whose pastor’s wife was disabled. A specially equipped van would enable her to be more independent, and incidentally help her husband, too. The church held fundraisers and bought that van!
Sadly, I have another friend, disabled by a condition causing frequent injuries, who reports that she can’t remember anyone ever doing anything to help them out. Her husband concurs.
Tips for helping:
Remember: people with disabilities just have to do life differently
They can be very independent, so you may need to spend time getting to know them and observing what may be needed. Don’t be afraid to ask. Some things you think they might need, they and their family may be accomplishing just fine. But other, less obvious, necessary tasks may be going undone.
In summary: Be there for them. Validate their importance as a person. Be a friend; that may be their biggest need.
For More Info
For 505 ideas about helping physically challenged people, see Beyond Casseroles, a book reviewed on “Helping Out a Friend” tab on the For Observers page under Even More Info.
See “How to Enhance Daily Life for a Person with a Disability for ideas on making life easier for seriously disabled people.” For other ideas, keep watching the Observers page to see new ideas.
In Short
A little assistance goes a long way in enabling a dweller to participate more fully in life. Besides the practical effects of helping physically challenged people, it encourages them, supports them, and affirms their value as a person. There are as many ideas to help a friend as there are people to imagine them.
Now what?
Can you add to this list by leaving a comment telling about how someone has helped you? Or how you have helped someone in need? I’ll contact you to see if you’ll let me use your ideas on my Observers page, so other people can benefit from your experience.
