5 Ways to Support Your Loved One Living With a Medical Condition

Living with a serious condition, looking for or participating in a clinical trial can be tough on the psyche and there is no one right way to handle that kind of distress. However, there are some things that relatives and friends can do to make things a little bit better for patients.

1. Get informed. A study conducted by our talented graphic designer Borjana Krusteva shows that people suffering from chronic illness feel very lonely and isolated at times due to a number of factors such as stigmatization, stereotypes about their particular condition and people refusing to recognise them as individuals first and foremost and instead treating them differently (like they’re fragile or contagious – due to misinformation about their condition).

So, if you have a loved one who lives with a chronic illness or has an otherwise life-altering medical condition, gather all the information you can find about their particular condition – ask doctors, look up online medical journals (don’t forget to check your sources!), you can even check out FindMeCure’s database for treatments in development as that can be a source of hope not only for patients but for their friends and family too – seeing how far research has come and how many options are being explored can be the much needed light at the end of the tunnel.

2. Talking about hope, that’s a huge theme in the lives of people living with chronic or (for now) incurable medical conditions. It’s important to know that new cures are found every day, there are many treatments may be just months away and scientific progress is happening now faster than ever. Staying hopeful and maintaining a positive mindset play a huge role in recovery. Speaking of positive mindset…

3. Borjana’s study also shows that many people with serious medical conditions turn to religion or spirituality in their journey to recovery. You can be supportive of your loved one by taking interest in their inner spiritual experience and/or their beliefs about the meaning and purpose of their current situation (it is immensely important to keep to yourself any nihilistic life views you might hold, as those can be very disheartening and many studies show that losing hope and a sense of meaning or purpose significantly limit the chances of recovery).

4. Get into the mindset of your loved one. Depending on whether the illness is chronic or terminal, your loved one might either accept it as a part of their life (in the case of chronic conditions) or see it as an outside threat (as it’s the case of cancer for example). It’s important to get as much insight as possible and act accordingly.

5. Don’t expect them to be a certain way. Many people with life-altering conditions get frustrated by the stereotypes about their illness, so validation is crucial. Remember that their emotions, feelings and the way they see their situation are always valid and reasonable, so don’t dismiss them or insist that they change to fit your expectations. Instead, offer your loved one your unjudgmental presence and a listening ear.

Too often our instinctual reaction is to say “Don’t think that way!”, when someone expresses doubt in their recovery or their ability to stay calm and collected in the face of adversity, but such a reaction might make them less open to communication, and being able to confide in someone and openly share all their thoughts and fears is of huge importance in overcoming loneliness. Instead, try saying something like “I see why you might feel that way” to make them feel heard, as sometimes people might feel pressured to stay always cheerful in order not to scare their friends and family.

Remember that even though staying hopeful is important, that doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be good and bad days. Be supportive by allowing your loved one to not always be strong and calm, and optimistic; to openly express all their emotions. There shouldn’t be any taboo topics that they feel aren’t allowed to talk about.

Subscribe for FindMeCure’s blog (look to your upright for the subscribe field) to get more news and views on health and clinical trials! Borjana’s study on patients’ needs will be soon published here. Don’t miss it out!

If you or your beloved one is looking for more treatment options, check out the available clinical trials on FindMeCure.

 Article by Nelly Katsarova