Mental health articles

caring for the terminally ill patient  Caring for the terminally ill
People who are suffering from a terminal illness such as cancer or AIDS can suffer mental health problems for many reasons, such as pain, fear of dying and sadness at leaving behind loved ones. You can help promote mental health by:
• caring for the terminally ill patient establishing a good relationship with the person by visiting regularly;
• talking about what dying means to the person (what are her worries and how can they be best tackled now?);
• involving the family, especially close relatives, in sharing concerns (family disputes that may have not been resolved for a long time could be tackled);
• advising the person to close unfinished business, such as financial or legal matters;
• ensuring that the person understands the nature of the illness and is getting the best possible treatment
available, especially for pain relief;
• giving antidepressants or other medicines if there is depression or another mental illness;
• with children, trying to get the family to meet a wish that the child has;
• caring for the carer.

Related articles

• Patient Dumping and the Mentally Ill
• One of my 5 Friends is Mentally Ill.

Tags: patient, terminally ill