Earlier this week we had a patient come into the office using a walker. She was slow moving, but she sure was assertive when she spoke. You could tell she had difficult walking as she was elderly and had some obvious mobility issues.
What struck me was that she had a hand-written note on her walker that read:
“If I need your help I will ask for it.
Thank You!
Sorry I am Slow”
It was great to see her independent spirit. One can only speculate why she feels this way.
Does she want to feel independent?
Does she feel insulted when people offer help?
Does she feel like people are rushing her because she is slow?
I did not ask her why she had the sign. Instead I told her that it was great to see her sign and told her she must be a very independent person. I would like to think that she wants to be independent to feel accomplished by getting through the day without help.
On my bicycle ride after work I got to think about the many times we offer our help or advice to our friends and colleagues not realizing we should ask them first if they would like our help or advice.
We often times come across that special personality, the one that values independence and perseverance. We should honor it, and be on standby in case they need our support.
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