Gifts For The Terminally Ill Patient: 3 Meaningful Ways To Show How Much You Care

When a friend of family member is diagnosed with a terminal illness, the relationship can become strained simply because it is difficult to know how to help them or what to say. This situation can become even worse during the holiday season, when thoughts of their illness make any sort of celebration feel sad and awkward. If you are close to someone who is battling such an illness, here are some ways that you can help make the holiday season more enjoyable for them while creating some lasting memories for you to cherish through the years.

Giving the Gift of Shared Joy

In most close relationships, there exists a common denominator. A love or interest that both you and the friend or family member share, such as a fondness for a sports team, a love of fishing, or travel. Even if the terminally ill patient is no longer able to enjoy these things on their own, you can help them remember these past experiences once again.

Spend time with them looking at old photos of the times when you enjoyed these things together and help them to revisit these times by re-telling the funny things that happened. Enjoying the smiles and laughter again is a great stress reliever for them and a comfortable way for you to let them know just how much they are loved.

Giving the Gift of the Future

Terminally ill patients are very aware of the passing of time and the fact that they will not get to be with their loved ones as long as they had hoped to be. Many patients have things they want their loved ones to know after their gone, but have found it difficult to express them.

A beautiful gift to terminally ill patients in this situation is to spend time helping them create a journal or series of audio or video recordings that can be given to their loved ones after their passing. These can range from simple messages of love to detailed accounts of family history or even a secret recipe that they want to hand down.

Give the Gift of Care

Terminally ill patients require a level of care and support that can quickly overwhelm family members who have become active caregivers. Volunteering to take on some of the care duties, or hiring a caring professional who specializes in the terminally ill patient care can be a wonderful gift to both the patient and their family. If necessary, help them to find a facility, such as Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care/ Akers Media, which can offer care round the clock. This gift will allow the family to spend more quality time with the patient, instead of being saddled with the tedious details of their daily care.

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