When a Loved One Has a Terminal Illness

You will have cremation services in Sun City, AZ when your loved one dies from their terminal illness, but there are many things that you, as their primary caregiver, will need to do in supporting them while they are alive.

You have many things to think about once your loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. You – and they – may be in shock immediately after the diagnosis, but you will need to recover as quickly as possible so that you can support your loved one through the end of their life.

This checklist is not something you will be able to complete in a few hours. It will not be something that you can complete entirely alone. However, the sooner you begin to think about these things and put them into motion, the better equipped you will be to help your loved one.

There are medical things you will need to consider when your loved one has a terminal illness.

The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you understand your loved one’s diagnosis and what it means for the future. This means asking your loved one’s doctor about symptoms, progression, and prognosis of the terminal illness. It may also mean doing research on your own to get educated about what to expect going forward.

By understanding the symptoms and progression of your loved one’s terminal illness, you will be better equipped to handle them without having the element of surprise throw you off balance. It’s important to know that the doctor’s prognosis of your loved one’s life span going forward is just that: a guess.

While your loved one may die earlier or later than the doctor’s estimation of how much time they have left, you are getting a credible opinion based on the doctor’s knowledge and experience in handling many cases like your loved one’s.

The next thing you will need to do is to honestly assess your ability to care for your loved one by yourself. If you are not able to provide the kind of care that your loved one will need, you will need to either enlist help from family members or consider having your loved one in a facility where adequate care can be administered.

If you have the ability, with or without help, to care for your loved one at home, then you should bring hospice services on board as quickly as possible. Your loved one is eligible for hospice care if they have six or less months to live (if they live longer than the prognosis, hospice will simply recertify them so there is no disruption in their service).

Hospice can provide medical care, social services needs, religious support, and grooming help, which will enable your loved one to live at – and die at – home through the very end of their illness.

Be sure your loved one has all their important paperwork and asset information (end of life, insurance, will, living will, digital will, financial, property, etc.) current. If things need to be changed or updated, much of that can be done from home working virtually with an attorney. Most legal documents need to be notarized, but there are private notaries who will come to your home to do that.

Once you have this done, then enjoy the time you have left with your loved one as much as is possible. This will help give them peace of mind and it will give you a lot of good memories to cherish when they are gone.

For information about cremation services offered in Phoenix, AZ, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Simply Cremations & Funeral Arrangements is here to assist you.