MedLinePlus (Health Day News)
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
New guide helps seriously ill teens and young adults talk about their needs.
Teens and young adults who are seriously ill should have a chance to be involved in end-of-life decisions, and a new planning guide — developed especially for this age group — can help, researchers say.
“It’s OK to raise these issues and open up communication,” said Lori Wiener, director of the pediatric psychosocial support and research program at the U.S. National Cancer Institute and lead author of a study that helped develop the new guide.
“Adolescents and young adults often stay silent and secret because they don’t want to share their fears — because they don’t want to upset their parents. And parents don’t bring up end-of-life issues for the same reasons,” she explained.
But, for teens, Wiener said, “people really do want to know what you think and what you feel and what your choices will be. Those choices will be different for different folks, but find a way to have your voice heard.”
Read the full atory at MedLinePlus (Health Day News)
Thanks to the HVCC Mortuary Science Alumni & Student Assoc for alerting us to this article.
