A Little Help Goes a Long Way: Supporting a Spouse’s Health Problems
Couples can face serious life-changing illnesses ranging from Alzheimer’s, cancer, or other medical conditions. While the ill spouse can indeed feel depressed due to the severe medical condition they faced, the well spouse can support their partner in many ways.
In this Pacific Prime Thailand blog post, we will be going through how to support a spouse through their health problems to ensure the ill spouse can get the right form of support and care from their partners during this difficult time.
Be a Good Listener to Your Spouse’s Concerns
When your spouse faces serious health issues, there will undoubtedly be sleepless nights. If your spouse wishes to disclose their concerns, it’s important to be a good listener. There’s nothing an ill spouse needs more than compassion during this difficult time.
By actively listening to their health concerns, you can help create a safe space for your ill spouse to express themselves without judgment. The emotional support can also reduce their stress and anxiety as they know they have someone who genuinely cares for them and is attentive to their needs.
Spend Time Together With Your Spouse
Aside from compassion, the other thing your ill spouse will need during this time is companionship. Do your best to spend time together whether it’s as simple as morning exercises together, walking the dog, or spending Friday night together with a TV movie or popcorn.
Engaging in activities together helps reinforce the bond between you and your spouse while providing joy and relaxation amidst your spouse’s illnesses. By sharing activities together, you can foster a supportive environment for your ill spouse that promotes emotional wellbeing and positivity.
Accompany Your Spouse if They Need to See a Doctor
If your spouse needs to see a doctor, accompanying them is an excellent way to provide moral support. Joining their medical appointments reassures them that they are not alone during this difficult time as your physical and emotional presence can alleviate their feelings of isolation and fear.
This also allows you to actively participate in health discussions with the doctor and better understand medical advice, which brings us to our next point.
Talk to the Doctor Together
Since you’re already an active listener to your spouse’s concerns and accompanying them to a doctor’s visit, instead of just staying in the waiting room or staying silent in the appointment, you can further that by serving as an active listener to the doctor as they explain treatment plans.
Not only would this be much appreciated by your spouse, but this will also be the perfect opportunity for you to come up with questions for the doctor together with your partner.
Tips for Asking Medical Questions
When gathering up questions for the doctor, prioritize your questions by putting the important ones first. This will ensure that you receive the information you’ll need most in preparation for your spouse’s next appointment.
Below are some examples of questions you could ask the doctor regarding your spouse’s health concerns.
- Can you explain the diagnosis in a bit more detail?
- Are there any treatment options available, and what would you recommend?
- What medications will my spouse need to take and when should the medication be taken?
If you can’t think of specific questions, you can start by asking if you could schedule a follow-up by phone or send any questions to the doctor or their assistant by email. This will give you more time to come up with questions you’d like to ask the doctor while waiting for the next appointment.
Conclusion
While there will be sleepless nights and feelings of anxiety during this difficult time, all an ill spouse needs is a little companionship and moral support from their partners. Whether it’s as simple as spending time together or going to the doctor together, a little help goes a long way.
By actively listening to your spouse and accompanying them to a visit to the doctor, you can easily alleviate their feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Additional methods such as spending time doing shared activities at home can also foster a positive environment to reassure them.
Secure Health Insurance With Pacific Prime
Nobody can predict when life-changing illnesses can strike, and hospital or medical specialist accessibility may be difficult depending on where you live. Fortunately, that doesn’t always have to be a headache and we’re here to help.
As an experienced international health insurance broker, Pacific Prime Thailand has helped both local citizens and expats find a health insurance plan that matches both their budget range and unique healthcare needs.
Whether you’re a local Thai citizen yourself or an expat living in Thailand in search of efficient healthcare in the land of smiles, our team of specialists will be more than happy to help you out. If you have any further questions, please get in touch with us or get a free quote here.
He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts, Media & Communication major (concentration: Creative Content) from Mahidol University International College (MUIC). During the compulsory major elective period in the summer of 2021 and voluntarily during the summer of 2022, he also interned as a video and photo editor at Mbrella Films.
He has experience working as an English Content Writer at a real estate buying/renting/selling platform in Thonglor. There, he crafted company blog posts on a multitude of topics. Topics include market trends, legal issues and disputes in property businesses, financial guides, expat guides, home insurance, home decoration and maintenance, and weekly real estate news quick-recaps. Occasionally, as part of the blog-writing process, he would also translate existing Thai blogs to English.
In his free time, Guy enjoys doing scriptwriting and storytelling for comic strips, watching movies, and listening to music (particularly film scores).
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