Familiar support during recovery
Thunem explained that assistants already knew her routines, communication and preferences. They helped with practical tasks while nurses handled medical care. She could conserve energy instead of repeatedly explaining her needs to different staff, and assistants helped her speak up when she felt she was not being heard. [1]
Control stays with the person
“It gives us the power in our own life,” Thunem wrote about independent living and assistance. ENIL’s guidance describes personal assistance as support directed by its user, including choices about who provides it, when and how. Supported decision-making can help people exercise that control. [1][2]
Access remains uneven
Uloba’s separate 2025 assessment drew on responses from 361 disabled people with assistance needs and public statistics. It reported differences between municipalities, restricted hours and difficult complaints processes. Those findings concerned access across Norway; Thunem’s account described her own experience of keeping familiar support during treatment. [3]