Happy World Health Day to all who are reading this. Here's to many more happy and healthy days. To those who may not be so healthy, this day should not be a discouraging one, but rather an uplifting and heartwarming way of keeping your hopes up. For those helping out people with disabilities, you should not loathe or fear that your assistance is hindering or impeding their happiness; you are making their lives easier, after all. Whether it’s helping a loved one or a stranger, characters such as Leonard from the film The Lovely Patient show us that it is not impossible to do this.
Having a family member with a disability, it may seem difficult to continue having a normal life, but this is not always the case. While you may be taking care of another person besides yourself, it does not have to be seen as a crutch. Leaving the question standing, how does one make taking care of someone fun? Here are some ways to make being around the person you are taking care of does not feel like a chore.
THEY ARE STILL PEOPLE
- The first thing you must remember is that they are human, and humans enjoy interacting with one another, we are social beings after all. You should not look at the person as a victim of health problems, but rather as a friend who just needs a little more help.
HOME SWEET HOME
- Adjusting the living situation is one major task that may be daunting, but the benefits weigh out more than the losses. Making a place easier to live is what people want anyway.
HOBBIES CAN STILL BE FOR THEM
- Making sure that they’re active is key to not realizing they have a disadvantage. It's a healthy distraction just as long as they are not hurting themselves in the process. The hobby may also be beneficial in the recovery of some.
Looking back at the film The Lovely Patient, it displays these tips in certain ways. Leonard always makes sure he is supportive of his mother, Katherine, even when she puts herself down. He knows that being disabled should not be seen as a crutch. The living situation for the two of them is not ideal, but Leonard makes up for this by being there for whatever she needs. It may cost him at times, but he knows she is his priority. Leonard’s mother throughout the film does not show any hobbies besides going to therapy, but by looking at this through a different lens, it is her hobby. She is keeping herself active through her recovery which can become a hobby after a while.
Supporting people with disabilities is no easy task, but these ways should help shed a light on what can be done to make not only their lives easier but, yours as well. Our health is important which is why this day was created, but remember that those with disabilities are celebrating this day as much as we are.
