6 Ways To Support A Sick Family Member

If your family member has been diagnosed with an illness or has fallen sick, you might feel like your whole world is falling apart. You will feel helpless and desperate to make them feel better and take away their pain. While you may feel like there is nothing you can do for them, there are a lot of ways you can support them in this difficult time. According to research, family and friends can play a huge role in helping patients cope with their illness. Let’s look at some of these ways in this article.

1. Create A Strong Support System

While trying to do everything yourself is tempting, your responsibilities will take you away at one point or another. That’s why you must form a strong support system right from the start. It includes other family members, friends as well as emergency contacts. You can devise a schedule that ensures that at least one person is always available for them. You should also ensure that everyone involved is up to date with any special requirements, instructions, and emergency signs to watch out for.

2. Introduce Them To Helpful Resources

No matter the type of illness or injury, it’s always helpful to have specific resources to make life easier for that person. You can look into hospitals and doctors that specialize in that specific area. There are also some excellent online medical resources where they can gather information or get consultations from the comfort of their home.

If an external factor has caused their illness or injury, you can look into legal resources such as sokolovelaw.com as a starting point. Additionally, several free and paid counseling resources can help you, and the rest of your family cope with your current situation. Lastly, you can also start looking for support groups since speaking to people going through similar situations can be helpful.

3. Educate Yourself

This is one of the best initial steps to take when you find out your loved one is ill. We don’t mean that you should go down an internet rabbit hole and convince yourself that something terrible will happen. Instead, look into verified and trustworthy sources.

First, you can speak to their doctor and get as much information as possible about their diet, routine, potential next steps, and possible risks. If you want to go further, there are books written by actual doctors and healthcare workers that go into more detail on a range of topics. Many people find it helpful to learn as much as possible about whatever they’re dealing with. So if you’re one of them, ensure your information is correct. And if you want to act on what you’ve learned, confirm it with a doctor first.

4. Take Some Time Off

This isn’t a permanent solution, but even a couple of days where you can give your family member a significant chunk of your time can do a lot to help them. If you have some vacation days left over or if you can speak to your employer about your situation, you may be able to get some time off. Or, if you’re still in school, try speaking with your professors, as they’ll likely be very understanding and will try to help you out. This free time will also give you the space to figure out how to go about things moving forward and for when you inevitably return to your daily routine.

5. Spend Quality Time Together

Not all your time with this person needs to be spent fussing over them or discussing their illness. Instead, you can ask them what they feel like doing and enjoy your time with them, whether it’s movies, games, or even at-home karaoke. Doing enjoyable things that bring a smile to their face is a fantastic way to support them.

If distractions or entertainment aren’t the way to go, you can help them if they want to keep on with the more mundane things. Maybe they want to do stuff the way they used to and not feel like anything is different. If that’s the case, you can have a nice time together while doing the dishes or dusting. It can also be a good time to organize more family game nights or get-togethers. Time well spent with loved ones can do great things for one’s spirit.

6. Take Care Of Yourself

You might be wondering what taking care of yourself has to do with anything when it’s your loved one who’s sick, but this also plays a big part. Family members of sick people deal with many negative and stressful emotions throughout the process. This can be guilt, helplessness, anxiety, fear, and much more. It can also be hard to cope with caring for someone who is ill while having responsibilities of your own. Not taking some time for yourself can harm not only you but also the person you’re trying to support. You can’t help anyone if you are struggling yourself.

Conclusion

So, these are the ways you can support and provide comfort to a sick family member. As we’ve mentioned, it can be stressful and scary, but it will soon become manageable if you have a strong support system and take time for yourself. Humans are built to adapt to all sorts of situations, and you and your loved ones will also adjust.