6 Ways To Support A Loved One Going Through An Illness Or Injury

It’s almost certain your loved one who has sustained an injury or going through an illness would need help at some point. And sometimes you may not know exactly how to provide this support. Going through an illness or injury is a trying period both for you and your loved one. But you don’t need to worry too much. Here are some of the primary ways to support your family or friend during an illness or injury.

1. Ensure They Keep Their Doctor’s Appointment

Keeping doctor’s appointments is vital for the quick recovery of your loved one. It would foster easy monitoring regularly, and the doctor would be able to know what to do to get them better. If there’s a need for it, there may also be a provision of intensive care to increase the recovery pace. 

Sometimes your loved one may also need to see a therapist to recover faster. Your availability and ability to encourage and ensure they regularly see their health practitioner would significantly help them become better and regain their independence fast.

2. Assist Them In Getting Used To Any Lifestyle Changes 

Sometimes going through an illness or injury may mean a complete lifestyle change. This could bring serious anxiety and discomfort to your loved one. It’d be great, therefore, if you could help them get used to their new lifestyle by being there for them.

An instance of a lifestyle change is when a person loses their ability to walk, either due to the weakness of their limbs or because of an injury sustained during an accident. The inability to walk and move around with flexibility could cause anxiety to your loved one. 

You can provide emotional support to them by letting them know the change is temporary, if it is. But if it’s a more permanent change, let them know it doesn’t change who they are or how you perceive them. They’re still the same amazing person they were before the change. You can further support them by helping them do some things they may be unable to do, like arranging a transport system for them or getting them a walking aid.

3. Help Them With Healthy Diet

Eating healthy is essential for the recovery of a sick or injured person. It may even determine how fast they could heal and return to normalcy. It’s vital your loved one eats meals rich in fruit and vegetables so they can get the desired vitamins and minerals to aid their recovery. Here are some classes of food you may give your family or friend during their recovery period:

• Food rich in vitamin A: this type of food could aid in the production of white blood cells to fight off diseases and infection in the body. An example is sweet potatoes.
• Food containing vitamin C: vitamin C may help wounds heal faster and boost immunity. Your loved one would need a lot of this essential vitamin for their quick recovery. An example of food rich in vitamin C is orange.
• Food rich in omega-3 fatty acids: food types containing these essential fats are known to help reduce inflammation. You can get omega-3 fatty acids from mackerel fish, for instance.
• Food with zinc: food rich in this mineral is said to aid in fast healing and could boost immunity. Ensure your family or friend enjoys zinc-rich food, like chicken.

Your loved one may not be able to prepare a healthy meal themselves. Worse still, they may not have an appetite for food. Fortunately, you can help them prepare a healthy diet and even encourage them to eat well. 

4. Give Them ‘Me’ Time 

Leaving your loved one alone could be difficult since you may always want to be with them, care for them, and cater to their every need. While this is applaudable, it sometimes could be overwhelming. To support your loved one, all you may need to do, for instance, is help them to the garden and leave them there to get the fresh evening air alone and have their ‘me’ time. It may be a time to process their thoughts and emotions and also get accustomed to nature. 

This could help them accept their present reality and work toward recovering faster or embracing their new life. Aside from this, being constantly cared for could make your friend or family feel dependent, and not everyone may like how that feels. Some ‘me’ time would help your loved one realize how that is important at this period of their life.

5. Ensure They Take Their Medications Religiously

It goes without saying that when your friend or family is going through an illness or has sustained an injury, they’d need some medications to help them heal faster. But they may not always like or remember to take their medications. In such instances, your encouragement and reminder are needed. Ensure they don’t miss their dosage and the hours they need to take their medications.

6. Give Them A Hand In The House

Chores would always be required in the house. Tasks like sweeping the floor, washing the dishes, and doing the laundry would need the use of hands and feet. The fact that your loved one is presently incapacitated because of an illness or injury means they need assistance in these daily activities. 

You can show your support by doing their chores for them. You can even help them get their groceries and cook meals that can be refrigerated and microwaved at their convenience. Doing this would significantly relieve your loved ones’ burden. 

Conclusion

Everyone would need support or help from people they love and trust at one point or another. This support is most appreciated during a period of illness or injury. There are more than six ways to support your loved ones. However, the six listed here could be a starting point. 

You can go ahead and do more, depending on how sick or injured your loved ones are and how much support they need. As much as you can, support your loved ones by helping them keep their doctor’s appointments, get used to their lifestyle changes, have a healthy diet, achieve ‘me’ time, take their medication religiously, and complete their house chores.