Illness

How can I be heard and keep a say in my life while needing care?

Illness can bring pain, uncertainty or a changed relationship with the life we expected to live. You may want information one day and quiet company the next. There is room for that, including feelings that do not fit an expectation to be brave or positive.

Dignity includes being listened to, receiving understandable information and having preferences taken seriously. Those offering care can ask what would help, make time for an answer and respect a wish for privacy. Practical help should support the decisions the person can and wants to make. A page can offer words, but some concerns need a conversation with the people providing care or someone trusted to be present.

A question to sit with (optional): Would I welcome listening, company, information or practical help today, and how might I let someone know?