If you want to help someone with a chronic health condition, you must tap into your empathy, knowledge, and proactivity. When you have a loved one who lives with a chronic health issue, the depth of your support can make a huge difference in their life. It’s not just about being there for them – it’s about creating an atmosphere of strength and resilience. Below are ways you can support someone who struggles with a chronic health condition.
Educate Yourself to Empower
The best way you can support your loved one in their journey toward good health is to educate yourself thoroughly about their situation – including symptoms, treatment options, and side effects – through reputable medical journals, patient advocacy groups, and healthcare practitioners. This will help you anticipate their needs more clearly, providing empathic, informed support.
Listen with Intent
Learning how to listen is key to helping your friend or loved one with a chronic illness. You must be willing to listen intently when they talk about what they are going through and how they feel, without jumping in with advice. Acknowledge their feelings and don’t try to dismiss them. Creating space for them to talk can help relieve some of the stress that accompanies their health problem.
Patience is Key
A chronic condition is full of ebbs and flows. Cultivating patience means becoming comfortable with the idea that some days will be better than others, and that progress is seldom linear or rapid. If someone’s situation isn’t improving or seems to be getting worse, resist the urge to express frustration or impatience. Instead, provide your calm presence and understanding, which can help counteract despair and setbacks.
Advanced Education in Nursing
If you want to offer more complete care for your loved one suffering from a chronic condition, consider completing a program to further your education. For example, attain a master's degree in nursing through an online program, which will give you the flexibility to manage your other responsibilities while learning to better care for complex health issues. To get the most out of your educational investment, look for an online program that offers competitive tuition.
Practical Assistance
When you help with the many small tasks of daily life – cooking meals, housekeeping, running errands – you relieve the stress and physical fatigue that can come with a chronic illness. You give them more energy to focus on their recovery and daily management of their health. Practical help of this kind shows that you care and goes a long way toward giving them peace of mind.
Encourage Healthy Practices
Encourage your loved one to prioritize self-care by emphasizing the benefits of good sleep, balanced nutrition, and moderate but regular physical activity, to the extent that it can be managed and is appropriate medically. Help them continue with hobbies and other activities, both social and solitary, that foster pleasure and relaxation. Good mental and emotional health draw on the same resources as good physical health, so lean into them when you can.
Respect Their Independence
Find the right balance between offering help and respecting their independence, and encourage them to make choices for themselves about their health and daily activities. This way, you are boosting their self-efficacy and reinforcing their sense of control over their life. With all of the health challenges they are facing, autonomy can be a powerful motivational factor, and respecting their decisions is one way you can build their self-confidence and resilience.
Compassionate and knowledgeable support goes beyond mere companionship and caring, and reflects both a respectful attitude and a willingness to offer practical aid, encouragement, and help. A thoughtful and informed response can have a significant impact on their health and the quality of their lives and draw you into their daily lives as they strive to adapt to their condition. It not only enhances their well-being but also helps to strengthen the relationship between you, reinforcing each other’s sense of trust and mutual support.
Suzanne Tanner is following in her mother’s footsteps to become a physical therapist. Growing up, she watched her mom work with patients of all backgrounds: individuals who were born with physical limitations and wanted to become stronger; people who suffered a trauma and were working to rebuild strength they had lost or figuring out a new way of life after losing some of their physical abilities permanently; and senior citizens whose abilities had changed with age. She started her site, Able Safety, as an extra credit term project, but she decided to keep it going as a passion project. On the site, she shares tips, resources, and exercises for people with disabilities and seeks to empower and inspire people to live life on their terms no matter their abilities.