Which statement best defines Min Assist?

• A. Caregiver is positioned close to the patient with his or her hands on the patient or a gait belt
• B. Patient performs ≥75% of activity; assistance is required to complete activity
• C. Position: Feet above the head
• D. Patient can perform the activity without any type of verbal or manual assistance

Answer: (B)

Min Assist means the patient does most of the work and the therapist provides only a small amount of help. The key idea is that the patient performs about 75% or more of the activity, with the remaining portion completed with assistance. That’s why the statement describing the patient doing at least three-quarters of the task and needing some help to finish matches Min Assist exactly.

In practice, other scenarios involve either safety guarding or contact without specifying how much the patient is doing, or they describe independence with no help at all. For example, being close to the patient with hands on them or a gait belt is about guarding or providing physical support, not about the percentage of effort the patient contributes. And an activity done without any verbal or manual assistance is independence, not a minimized-assist level. The option about feet being above the head is irrelevant to assist level.