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Terminal illness: Supporting a terminally ill loved one
My loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. How might our relationship change?
Content
My loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. How will our relationship change?
How can I help my loved one cope with a terminal illness?
Is there a typical emotional process that a person who has a terminal illness experiences?
How do you help a loved one who's in denial about his or her impending death?
When is denial harmful?
What else can I do for my loved one?
Is it important to keep a vigil by my loved one when he or she is near death?
Is it appropriate to tell your loved one that it's all right to let go?
What advice do you have for people who are grieving?
What do you tell people who are struggling with guilt?
Content
My loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. How will our relationship change?
How can I help my loved one cope with a terminal illness?
Is there a typical emotional process that a person who has a terminal illness experiences?
How do you help a loved one who's in denial about his or her impending death?
When is denial harmful?
What else can I do for my loved one?
Is it important to keep a vigil by my loved one when he or she is near death?
Is it appropriate to tell your loved one that it's all right to let go?
What advice do you have for people who are grieving?
What do you tell people who are struggling with guilt?
My loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. How might our relationship change?
Your relationship with your loved one might not necessarily change because he or she has a terminal illness. If you're concerned, try to build on your relationship's strengths. It's also important to be open to new possibilities. A loved one's terminal diagnosis might improve your relationship. Or unresolved conflicts might present new challenges.
Remember that your loved one is still the same person and will still have the same needs and desires as he or she had before the terminal illness. Many people facing terminal illness want to be treated as normally as possible, without always focusing on the illness.
