5 Tips To Support People With Life-challenging Illnesses

For our loved one the most important thing will be to feel supported in these difficult times. We must not neglect their needs, and we must respect their silences and their wills.

All of us are exposed in one way or another to developing different types of life-challenging diseases. 

When we manage to assume and overcome them thanks to a timely treatment, we acquire a great experience. This will help us to be more grateful and have another perspective of what it is to live.

However, sometimes we are not the ones who get sick and we are in the role of being the companions. We will face a very different challenge, in which we will have to learn to put ourselves in the place of the other.

Providing support in such a difficult situation can be a fighting impulse for the affected person.

In fact, the US National Cancer Institute notes that caring for those facing life-challenging illnesses can provide physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Being the helping hand of the sick can generate some feelings of fear. Sometimes it is not known exactly how to assume it without affecting the patient.

For this reason, today we are going to share those 5 key tips that will help to provide support in the best way.

5 tips for supporting people with life-challenging illnesses

1. Provide company

Receiving the diagnosis of a chronic or terminal illness is something that completely changes the way you see life. Increases stress, anxiety, depression and many other emotions that can negatively influence.

This news is something so difficult for those who receive it. The first way to support it will be by providing unconditional company.

• Knowing how to listen and dialogue makes the patient feel that he is not alone.
• That you can have someone to fight or share until the last moment.

2. Accept the changes that are to come

For obvious reasons for those who have to deal with life-challenging illnesses, it is very difficult to accept physical and emotional changes.

• However, for those around them there is usually a strong impact as well.
• Especially when physical deterioration begins to show.

Being aware of the changes that are to come and accepting the situation will help to understand and help the patient.

You need to be careful when broaching the subject in front of the person. Not knowing how to say things can generate negative emotions that can also make your situation worse.

3. Feel empathy

By nature, most prefer to seek words of encouragement when the person is going through a crisis of their illness. The truth is that many times, instead of making her feel better, the opposite happens.

Patients know when a situation cannot be changed and sometimes all they want is someone to listen to them.

For this reason, instead of wanting to change reality, it is best to adopt total empathy even if this implies feeling more sadness.

Listening and looking into their eyes when they have the need to vent their feelings, without interfering with false beliefs, will help them channel the pain.

4. Respect the silence

When a difficult and challenging stage for human life is announced, the person will most likely have some moments when they want to be silent for hours and even days.

Knowing what they are thinking is going to be very difficult. But most likely you will be going through one of the worst times.

However, as companions, it is essential to learn to respect this silence and wait until the affected person wants to talk about their situation.

In this sense, the only forms of help will be through small gestures such as:

• The look.
• A handshake.
• A hug that makes you feel that unconditional love.

5. Fulfill your will

Sometimes the suffering loved one has some kind of will with their treatments, and even with their fate after death.

• The task as caregivers will be to do everything possible so that everything is fulfilled as they wish.

In the end, when everything is over, there will be a feeling of satisfaction for having pleased the person in their most crucial moments or when they could no longer be present.

Going through these types of situations is not easy and requires a lot of patience and love.

As caregivers and support canes for those dealing with life-challenging illnesses, it is important to educate yourself well about it to be more sure of how to act correctly.