How to Help a Terminally Ill Friend
Even the thought of saying goodbye to your close friend or colleague who needs cremation services Evanston, IL, is tough. But often, sharing a few moments with them can save you from the regret of not offering a final goodbye.
Accept it or not, death is inevitable and we all have to face it eventually. But as a true friend, it’s your moral responsibility to express love for the dying person. Give them something to relive the good old memories, to have one last laugh, to know that someone will remember them after their passing.
That’s why you should go and visit a friend if you care about them as friendship is all about supporting a person during both good and bad times. But not everyone can garner the courage to face and talk to a terminally ill person.
Here are some useful tips to remember while visiting your dying friend.
1. Express Your Unconditional Love and Support
Many people feel anxious to visit a dying friend as they don’t want to face or say goodbye to her. The very acknowledgment of the fact that someone is about to die can make most feel uncomfortable – and it’s natural.
You may feel weak and restless knowing you can’t do anything to help your friend. But just imagine the comfort and solace your visit will bring to the friend.
You don’t need to talk about death or say goodbye; just being there and having a conversation like a friend will give you enough strength and comfort to pass through that critical time.
2. Let Them Take the Lead
You need to control your emotions and be as much supportive as you can be. Don’t take the lead yourself, instead of respect the patient’s choice and let them set the topic of discussion or standard of interaction.
If they want to talk about illness, let be it; if they want to avoid that topic, then find other topics that give them comfort and a few moments of happiness.
3. Don’t Interrupt Them
That’s the rule, you have to listen more to your friend and speak less. The very purpose of visiting is to let them express their feelings and share their memories and wishes.
Those last few minutes of your company should be all about the dying friend. Once you have initiated a conversation, just be there, holding their hand and letting them speak whatever they want to.
4. Do Say Something
The most awkward part of visiting a dying friend is starting a conversation. Your friend may also feel awkward about what to speak. No matter how difficult it’s for you to talk to a dying friend, you have to speak. The easiest way is to start asking questions on random subjects to get rid of the elephant in the room. Don’t directly jump onto the topic of illness or death, instead, let them decide what they want to talk about.
And lastly, you have to say GOODBYE, whether you like it or not – and that’s the hardest part. You have to control your emotion say a final goodbye to your friend. It should be heartfelt for both you and your friend. This will make it easier to plan cremation services Evanston, IL. Contact us now.