When you or a loved one is diagnosed with serious illness, deciding what to do next is never easy. You may feel powerless, overwhelmed, sad or angry. You know you should have so many questions, but are not sure what you and your family need to know.
It may take some time to adjust to the diagnosis, but knowing your choices and options can help relieve anxiety for you and your family. Talking about your values and goals and determining what information and resources you and your family need can help provide a roadmap for making informed decisions about your plan of care.
Start a Conversation
Consider the following questions before having a conversation about your care options:
- What do you value most about your life?
- Do you want to pursue every possible cure for your serious illness?
- Would you stop curative treatments if they were unsuccessful?
- Do you want to die at home?
- How much pain is too much?
- How long do you want to stay in the hospital?
- Do you want to be with your family when you die?
- What do you hope for most regarding your death or the death of a loved one?
If a conversation with your healthcare provider about your treatment and care options does not happen immediately after your diagnosis, consider initiating the conversation yourself. If your provider does not discuss alternatives to curative treatments, make sure to ask questions about this.
How JourneyCare Helps You
At JourneyCare, we provide expert pain and symptom management and end of life care to anyone faced with serious illness and support for those who love them. From the time of your diagnosis, JourneyCare can help you and your loved ones make informed decisions and assist with adjusting to change by providing you with an understanding of what to expect in the future.
JourneyCare’s specially trained team can help you and your loved ones with:
- Learning more about your illness and what to expect
- Managing pain and symptoms to improve quality of life
- Discussing goals of care
- Assistance talking with family about difficult decisions
- Emotional and spiritual support
- Accessing community resources
- Education and instruction about caring for a loved one with serious illness.
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