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Empowerment in Knowing Support and Care

The number of options in medical treatments while experiencing a terminal illness can often distract from one’s own wishes when it comes to living life to the fullest.

Sharing your wishes and preferences with those of your healthcare team as well as your family and friends enable them to support your living life to the fullest while faced with a terminal illness.

A Full Life During Terminal IllnessWays to maximize healthcare’s support of your choices in the ways you wish to live.

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Realizing Your WishesTake Time to Reflect• What matters most to me?

• Who do I want close?

• How can the medical help I receive support my wishes?

Learning the AnswersSometimes it can seem difficult to learn the answers to the questions listed above. Below are tips on finding them.

o Share your thoughts and feelings with a close and trusted friend. Talking about what is important to you can help reveal their true importance to you.

o Focus on what you want rather than what you don’t. This will keep your thoughts in the direction of your true desires.

o Record or write down important questions to ask your doctor. Let your doctor know if you don’t understand what is being said, and ask for a clearer explanation.

How can your doctor and health care team best support your living life to the fullest?

Some medical therapies are to help maximize one’s length of life. However, their side effects may decrease one’s quality of life.

What defines quality for you in your life?

How does your value of time compare with your value of quality?

Questions to Ask Your Doctor:• How will this therapy effect the quality of my life?

• Is this to extend my life?

• How will this therapy support my desires in living life to the fullest?

• What therapies will help to enhance the quality of my life?

The amount of information doctors and nurses know and share with you can sometimes seem overwhelming.

This can make it seem as though they also what you should or should not choose when it comes to medical therapies.

Remember, your health care team’s ultimate goal is to support your wishes and the decisions your make.

Choice. Know it’s yours to make.

Coping with PainWays of dealing with pain can greatly effect one’s quality of life.

Know the importance of sharing with your doctor about your specific needs in coping with pain.

Tell your doctor about how treatments and medications for pain are working for you.