ARTICLE

FindCenter AddIcon

What to Say to Someone Who’s Very Sick

By Hallie Levine — 2018

Expert advice on finding the right words, listening well, and getting specific about offers of help.

Read on www.aarp.org

FindCenter Post-Image

I Was Ghosted By My Friends When I Got Cancer

You not calling, as a friend, can actually compound the grief and loss they are feeling. Just pick up the phone, even if you get it wrong, just have a conversation and do your best. Your friend with cancer is still the same person they were before.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Caught Between Young Kids and a Parent with Alzheimer’s, I Found a Lifeline on the Playground

My mom’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and decline were a painful and lonely journey, one that coincided with an otherwise unbearably hectic time. My two children were still in diapers.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Living in the Limbo of Chronic Illness

Last week was the one-year anniversary of the beginning of my husband’s health crisis. As I gaze at the permanent handicap placard and at him sleeping, once again, on the couch, I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve learned this past year.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

8 Ways to Support Someone Dealing with a Health Crisis

When someone you love falls ill, gets in an accident or receives a scary health diagnosis, it’s never easy. In fact, it may be the hardest thing you’ll ever have to face. Unfortunately, it’s also inevitable that we’ll all deal with this kind of situation in life.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

What to Say to Someone Who Lost a Parent or Loved One

No matter what you say to someone whose parent or loved one died, it should be derivative of the same goal: communicating empathy and offering assistance, understanding what a person might need from you, and knowing how to phrase sentiments the right way.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Advice on Dire Diagnoses From a Survivor

With each diagnosis, knowing her life hung in the balance, she was “stunned, then anguished” and astonished by “how much energy it takes to get from the bad news to actually starting on the return path to health.”

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

For Living Donors, Many Risks to Weigh

Linda Fox of Brooklyn donated a lobe of her liver to save her husband, whose own liver had failed. The transplant took, and Ms. Fox said although recovery from the surgery was no picnic, she would willingly do it again.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Misophonia Complicates Relationships in Complex Ways

Understanding how and why can help people cope with the disorder.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

Why an Autistic Person May Push for a Closer Friendship Right Away

Does your autistic loved one tend to overshare or overexplain? We don't mean to come off as desperate or creepy, we just connect differently.

FindCenter AddIcon
FindCenter Post-Image

An Autistic Teen Girl’s Tips on How to Make and Maintain Friends

Advice often means more when it comes from someone who has walked in your shoes. Perhaps these tips for making friends from an autistic teen will spark some inspiration!

FindCenter AddIcon

EXPLORE TOPIC

Handling a Loved One’s Illness