By Barbara Borg, MA, OTR Mobility Outreach Specialist, Via Mobility Services
If you have ever had an illness or incident that resulted in being prescribed physical or occupational therapy, your treatment goals were towards an outcome of increased independence. Health care, and our culture overall, puts a premium on our being as independent as possible.
This brings us to an interesting dilemma. When is it okay to not be totally independent? A former colleague practicing home-based occupational therapy often told me about clients who didn’t want to be able to do everything in their lives independently for different reasons. For example, she had clients who had set and achieved a goal of independence in meal preparation, but it took them so long that they preferred for someone else to prepare their meals.
It seems that the goal should be that we’re able to participate in the activities that matter to us, and with the people who matter to us with the degree of independence that is both reasonable and acceptable to us. Does getting help diminish us in some way? Will society judge us harshly…. will we judge ourselves harshly?
I raise these questions as something to think about in relation to your life. What activities matter most to you? How do you imagine changing the way you approach these activities as you age-in-place. Would it be okay if you had some help? Do you know where to go to get up-to-date information about this help?
At Via we know that transportation links you to many of your most important activities, including but not limited to seeing friends, participating in community activities, obtaining groceries and other goods, and getting health care.
Via’s goals are two-fold: to provide current information about all transportation services available in your community, and that you let us help get you to the activities that matter to you.