Dr. Larry Berkelhammer

Dr. Larry Berkelhammer

This weekly column is for people living with chronic health challenges and their family caregivers, who want to learn to live with mastery & wellbeing.
I invite you to post your questions in the comments box below. When I get a certain number of related questions, I pick one that covers them all and I answer that one.
I post to this blog three times per week. Monday posts are relevant published articles. Wednesday posts are videos of webinars or interviews. Friday posts consist of questions about living better with chronic health challenges, and my answers to them.

Here is this week’s question:
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: My mother is 91, very debilitated, and starting to talk about not wanting to go on if she doesn’t get better. What can I do to restore her will to live?
ANSWER: Regardless of age, when someone is in chronic pain or is too debilitated to engage in any of the activities that previously gave her life meaning, it is important to find a new purpose in life that will give her life meaning.
It could be getting visits from grand and great grandchildren. It could be organizing old photos. It could involve giving to charities she believes in.
If all your mother has to look forward to each morning is the challenge of trying to minimize pain and discomfort, she will not regain her will to live.
You and your siblings know her best and are the most likely ones to come up with purposeful activities she is still capable of doing, which could add meaning to her life.
This website is offered as a free public service, supplying information that has been found helpful to certain people living with chronic health challenges. No treatment is offered on this website. The advice is general, and may or may not apply to your individual situation, and is not a substitute for psychotherapy or medical treatment.
What questions do you have about how to live better with chronic health challenges that are related to the relationship between states of mind and health?
Just scroll down and type your question in the comment box. I will post a reply to your comment, but your specific question may not appear in this column.

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