How to Support a Friend Who Has a Chronic Illness

Living with a chronic illness, such as cancer, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes or an immune disorder, can be isolating and lonely. Chronically ill individuals not only face more daily challenges than their healthy peers, but their condition can also interfere with their ability to socialize and partake in activities they enjoy.

If you have a friend with a chronic illness, it’s important to be a source of support for them. However, it can be difficult to do this without coming off as if your friend is your “pet project.” Below are a few thoughts on how to be a good friend to someone who is facing a serious illness without being patronizing.

Tips for Supporting a Friend with a Chronic Illness: Know when they need you (and when they don’t). Learn to understand when your friend needs company and when they need to be alone to regroup. Individual personality traits play into this balance, of course, but most people who are chronically ill need the ability to choose between alone time and social time. The challenge is…

Continue reading on Agingcare for tips on supporting a friend with chronic illness:

Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories.   “I hold onto your book as a life preserver and am reading it slowly on purpose…I don’t want it to end.” …Craig William Dayton, Film Composer

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