When you’re a young adult, it’s easy to assume you have your whole life ahead of you. Under normal circumstances, it would be illogical to think otherwise. After all, what is youth, if not invincibility?
Unrealistic notions about youth aside—unfortunately, there are many young, terminally ill cancer patients. When you’re young and having to make end-of-life decisions, it can wreak havoc on your mental health. If you’re preparing for end-of-life care and wondering what’s included with it, then continue reading.
Is therapy part of end-of-life care?
No one should have to face their own mortality alone. We all know that we’re going to pass away someday, and that’s a difficult surety for most people to face. But when you get a cancer diagnosis and learn that your days are numbered, it can have seriously negative effects on your mental wellness.
While it’s hard to see silver linings when you’re facing the end of your life, if there is one, it’s that you can receive therapy as part of your care plan. Attending a therapy group or individual therapy is a great way to get the emotional support you need to get through this difficult time.
With treatments and exercises that help boost self-esteem and distress tolerance, you may be able to make peace with the future. Even if you feel like you’re in a great place mentally, it’s still a good idea to attend a support group where you can get encouragement and comradery from other young adults who understand your unique situation.
Mental illness can be a sneaky thing that creeps into your mind even when you think you’re alright. If you find yourself feeling overwhelming anxiety or depression, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact a therapist. The Therapy Group of NYC is a network of therapists who have experience with all kinds of mental health treatment, from helping people get through mental illness or face their cancer diagnosis to helping people manage the madness of the Big Apple.
What about your finances?
Along with the physical and mental stress terminally ill cancer patients have to endure, they also have to manage increased financial responsibilities. The unfortunate irony is that if you’re terminally ill, you probably can’t work either. So what can you do about your finances?
If your life expectancy is shorter than 24 months, then you might want to consider getting a viatical settlement to help with your medical and living expenses. A viatical settlement is a way of cashing in your life insurance policy to get the money you need.
Before you get a viatical settlement, you should prepare yourself, as it’s a bleak financial option. The way viatical settlements work is, the shorter your life expectancy is, the higher the cash value of your life insurance policy. You can use the money from your cash settlement to pay medical bills, fund medical treatments, or even for a much-deserved vacation.
Selling your life insurance policy is serious business, so you need to make sure you partner with a viatical settlement company that knows how to handle these difficult situations with compassion. With American Life Fund, you’re in good hands. They’ve been handling life settlement transactions for years, and they always put the needs of their clients and their families first.
Is pain management part of end-of-life care?
If you’ve been given a terminal cancer diagnosis, there’s little else healthcare professionals can do other than try to ease your discomfort as much as possible. Even if you’ve been told you only have a little while to live, you still deserve to be as comfortable and pain-free during that time as possible. Luckily, palliative care is part of end-of-life care.
Palliative care is any treatment that doesn’t address the illness’s cause but alleviates pain or offers solace. So, not only are individual and group therapy part of end-of-life care, but pain management is as well.
