ICHP You Are Not Alone Brochure English 2013

You Are Not Alone: Seeking Support for
a Serious Medical Illness
Having a life-threatening illness can make you feel
alone unless you reach out to
others. This can be easier
said than done. When we feel
overwhelmed and
frightened, we tend
to pull away from
others and suffer in
silence. There are 2
main reasons for
this:
might happen.
2. Many people feel they
would be burdening friends or
family members with their suffering.
1. Many people
For more information, call us at:
1-855-959-7340
Or visit our website
at:
www.ichpcolorado.
com
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don’t know how to
talk about their illness and what
Telling Others
Telling loved ones
and friends that you
have a serious condition or terminal
illness is hard to do.
It will need thought,
time and planning.
response model.
Here is a short example:
Fact: My doctor told
me that I have a lifethreatening heart
problem.
A good idea is to use Feeling: I was
shocked and then
the fact-feeling-
scared.
Response: I am not
sure what to do, but
I want those closest
to me to know what
is going on.
Page 2
Telling Others (continued)
By telling others
about your illness
and how you feel,
you invite them into
a deeper relationship with you.
Seek support for
your medical illness through:
peers
counseling
spirituality
Some people don’t
do well at first. Their
own fear and denial
kick in, and they
may try to keep
away from the gravity of the event. Try
not to take it to
heart. Give them
time to get their
mind around the reality of your illness.
For others, being included in your time
of need is a high
honor. Walking beside someone in
hard
times
often
brings
out
the
very
best
in
people.
Seeing how short
and fragile life can
be forces us to
make each day
count. It also helps
us to not take life or
our relationships for
granted.
change. You might
need added help.
This is when you
need special people
to be there for you.
Going with you to
doctor visits or treatment, helping you
with hard tasks, or
After you have deter- listening to you vent
or cry is what
mined who you can
friends are for.
tell and count on,
think ahead. As your
illness progresses
your wants will
Peer Support
“It is amazing
how close some
people become
when they share
like events. ”
Talking with others
who are living with a
like condition or outlook shows that you
are not alone. It also
shows that you
should not suffer by
yourself. It is amazing how close some
people become
close when
they share
like events.
The wisdom
and support
found in
these support groups
is priceless.
Page 3
Peer Support (continued)
Depending on your
specific illness,
there are support
groups in close to
every community in
North America. Most
areas have end-oflife care programs.
Those can include
direct patient care
and also have counseling and support
groups for people
with a terminal illness, and those who
care for them.
Professional Support
There are times
when having a serious illness becomes
too much to bear.
Fear, depression,
anger, guilt and regret can be as hard
as the disease itself.
Spiritual Support
Faith and religious
groups offer a wide
range of spiritual
support and
direction for people
and families. For
some people, just
talking to someone
about their beliefs
and feelings about
life and death gives
peace and comfort.
This is when you
should seek counseling. Most local
hospices have counselors who specialize in this area. You
can also ask your
doctor for a referral.
“You can also
ask your doctor
for a referral. ”
Welcome to Integrated Community Health Partners. We call
ourselves ICHP (“I-Chip”). ICHP is
a new Medicaid program that will
help you put your health first.
We are a group of medical and
behavioral health providers who
formed a team to meet all your
health care needs. ICHP can:
Answer your questions about
the program
Answer questions about your
benefits and co-pays
Help you find other programs that will
help you get and stay healthy
Help your doctors talk to each other
about your health care needs
Help you make appointments and get
to your appointments
Work with you to solve any problems
with or complaints about your health
care
Find a Primary Care Medical Program
(PCMP) that will take care of you
Listen to you if you aren’t happy with
your health care
Connecting Members to Healthy Living
By Drew W. Edwards, MS, EdD
© 2009 Achieve Solutions
For more information, call us at:
1-855-959-7340
Or visit our website at:
www.ichpcolorado.com
and check out
In The Spotlight...