Say you’re supporting and providing for someone with reduced mobility1. If you want them to maintain their sense of independence, thn focus on your response times. Make it a priority to respond to their request for help immediately (or as fast as you can).

When they have autonomy, people experience a short time from thought to action. This is crucial to give them the sense of independence:
thought ➔ action

Having to rely on someone else for basic stuff means that there’s now a delay on that:
thought ➔ [help] ➔ action

As a caregiver, the shorter you can make that time, the more sense of autonomy and independence you give them.


  1. Written from the point of view of a sudden strained ankle that makes me have to hop around like a Saci↩︎