Easy ways to help make life better...
Monday, April 12, 2010
butyoudontlooksick.com is a great site for those with an illness or if you know someone with one and would like to understand what they go through better and what can be to help. One article entitled "36 Easy things that you can do to make the life of your chronically ill friend a bit better" is a brilliant insight. Here a few that caught my eye. And yes, that was a not so subtle hint :)
21. If you can afford it, hire a cleaning service to come over for the day and do a really good cleaning on the house. This is a great gift for the first day home from the hospital, and also good for when the patient is home trying to get well and is staring at all the dust piling up, but may be too weak to clean... This will help put their mind at ease...
22.) Cook dinners that are easy to freeze and defrost. When you are sick you are too tired to cook, so helping to make easy to heat meals is a wonderful treat. Put post it notes on the dinners with easy instructions to re-heat.
23.) If you are not a good cook, send some gift cards to local restaurants or take out. The worst feeling is to be tired, but also in a financial pinch due to medical bills. This helps so much.
28.) ... offer to drive him or her to do something special, but short in timing. How about a manicure, or ice cream? Something quick enough to get out of the house, but not too long to be exhausting.
30.) Send a care package... Remember how you felt at summer camp when you got a surprise package? It was so much fun to rip it open and see what was inside. Nothing has to be expensive, you can go to the dollar store and get fun little things. The idea is just to make the patient smile. Tip: I have always liked when people have written in a note “No thank you necessary.” I get a gift without the guilt of wanting to send a thank you note.
31.) Send an email. Don’t wait for the right time... It is always refreshing to hear from old friends... If you want to make the email even better, just sign it “Reply when you can, no rush.” This way the receiver gets your well wishes without having to worry about a reply.
34.) Help with regular every day tasks... in the change of seasons going through clothes or straightening your closets can be a daunting task, but if you help while your sick friend lays on the bed, then you can get the job done, feel organized and talk too.
The full list as well as great suggestions by commentators (One favourite of mine was by a Barbara Shaw's suggestion: "How about a massage or hair-styling? So many times a chronically ill person craves a personal, feel-good touch.") can be found here.
Paul
“There is nothing heavier than compassion. Not even one's own pain weighs so heavy as the pain one feels for someone, for someone, pain intensified by the imagination and prolonged by a hundred echos.”
-Milan Kundera
2 comments
21. If you can afford it, hire a cleaning service to come over for the day and do a really good cleaning on the house. This is a great gift for the first day home from the hospital, and also good for when the patient is home trying to get well and is staring at all the dust piling up, but may be too weak to clean... This will help put their mind at ease...
22.) Cook dinners that are easy to freeze and defrost. When you are sick you are too tired to cook, so helping to make easy to heat meals is a wonderful treat. Put post it notes on the dinners with easy instructions to re-heat.
23.) If you are not a good cook, send some gift cards to local restaurants or take out. The worst feeling is to be tired, but also in a financial pinch due to medical bills. This helps so much.
28.) ... offer to drive him or her to do something special, but short in timing. How about a manicure, or ice cream? Something quick enough to get out of the house, but not too long to be exhausting.
30.) Send a care package... Remember how you felt at summer camp when you got a surprise package? It was so much fun to rip it open and see what was inside. Nothing has to be expensive, you can go to the dollar store and get fun little things. The idea is just to make the patient smile. Tip: I have always liked when people have written in a note “No thank you necessary.” I get a gift without the guilt of wanting to send a thank you note.
31.) Send an email. Don’t wait for the right time... It is always refreshing to hear from old friends... If you want to make the email even better, just sign it “Reply when you can, no rush.” This way the receiver gets your well wishes without having to worry about a reply.
34.) Help with regular every day tasks... in the change of seasons going through clothes or straightening your closets can be a daunting task, but if you help while your sick friend lays on the bed, then you can get the job done, feel organized and talk too.
The full list as well as great suggestions by commentators (One favourite of mine was by a Barbara Shaw's suggestion: "How about a massage or hair-styling? So many times a chronically ill person craves a personal, feel-good touch.") can be found here.
Paul
“There is nothing heavier than compassion. Not even one's own pain weighs so heavy as the pain one feels for someone, for someone, pain intensified by the imagination and prolonged by a hundred echos.”
-Milan Kundera
Labels: Ways to help a sufferer
2 comments
2 Comments:
It's my pleasure to pass along to you the Versatile Blogger Award! You can get the details and image at http://www.puttingourheadstogether.com/2010/07/migraine-versatile-blogger-award.html
By 
Teri, at
29 July 2010 at 13:16
I appreciate the nice and simple ways that are laid here to help a patient.Cooking more on the days you are better can be a great tip...so that at a later date with a bad headache you just got to defrost food and you can have dinner.
By 
sinus surgery Los Angeles, at
21 December 2010 at 09:18
Medical terminology can cause confusion at the best of times. If there is a word you do not understand all you have to do is double-click on it and the definition will appear! Don't forget to drop me a line by email at versilleus@gmail.com with your comments, questions‚ recommended resources‚ concerns‚ & especially your experiences with clusters. Or come find me on my Facebook Profile to add me as a Friend. Whether you are a supporter‚ care-giver or sufferer. I would love to hear from you!
*Please do not use this information for self diagnoses. Writing about my experiences with chronic cluster headaches & epilepsy is a good outlet for me. Consult your Dr. with any kind of headache or chronic pain you may have. The 3rd party links on my site I have found to be a good resource to me over the past few years & dearly hope they will benefit you as well.*
