This recent New York Times article is about asking for help. Advice is always given to caregivers to have a specific list of ways that you’d like others to help you or your family member.
The author refers to Heidi Grant, a social psychologist and author of
the book “Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You.” She
indicates that people want to help you, but you have to ask for help.
Ms. Grant says there are four crucial steps to asking:
* “First, make sure the person you want to ask realizes you need help.
Thanks to a phenomenon called inattentional blindness, we’re
programmed to have the ability to take in and process only so much
information, ignoring the rest.”
* “Second, and the other side of that coin, make clear that the person
you want to ask understands your desire for help — in other words, you
have to ask.”
* “Third, be specific with your request and make sure your helper
knows why you’re specifically asking him or her and not someone else
(or worse, asking a group).”
* “Last, make sure the person you’re asking has the time and resources
to help. We’re all busy, sure, but you probably don’t want to ask for
help from the co-worker who’s juggling five different projects, moving
apartments and prepping for a vacation.”
Here’s a link to the article:
www.nytimes.com/2018/08/20/smarter-living/how-to-ask-for-help-and-actually-get-it.html
How to Ask for Help and Actually Get It
People want to help you. You just have to ask.
The New York Times
Smarter Living
By Tim Herrera
Aug. 20, 2018