I grew up with a disabled father He had a severe case of Rheumatoid arthritis, WE six kids learned when to offer help and when he did not want help. If he wanted help, he would ask for it. WE had a buzzer system installed in every house we lived in, and we frequently used it to summon each other. I was three short buzzes, my older brother was two short, my younger brother was four short. My Father did not stray too far from one of the buzzers And all of us could recognize his buzzes, and often his mood too from the way he buzzed.
I know how fortunate I was and still am to have had a disabled father. He thought me how to be sick, what I should and should not do. And I can absolutely confirm that disease strikes everyone in the house, whether they want it or not. For all of us, it was alway a pleasure and an honor when you were called to help him
and that taught me not to be afraid to ask for help. If you need help, people will happily respond. If you do not ask, you can deprive them along with yourself, and that's foolish. When I asked my father about it, he said that many people do not allow the sick to do what they can, and it robs sick people of some of their dignity...which is he other side of the coin.