I’m fortunate that until recently I’ve never needed physical help. My instinct is to crawl in a closet and come out when I’m better. And I assume that real friends will sort of know what I might need.
Years ago I had back surgery and my surgeon said I couldn’t do stairs for a week. The bathroom was on the same level as my bedroom, so I was upstairs. For a week, one of my neighborhood friends walked in with a picnic basket with all the food and drink I would need until my husband got home from work, brought it upstairs, and sat it beside my bed. . They didn’t ask, and it was a godsend.

I got the help I needed changing surgical dressing recently from home health. But I’m not likely to ask for anything specific from friends or family.