Your loved one may have more than one treatment option, and it can be difficult and time consuming to choose among them. Making treatment decisions usually requires numerous conversations; with one another, with doctors and other health-care professionals, as well as with family and friends. Here are some ideas about how to keep your lines of communication open, and work together to make choices about treatment.

Starting the Process

The first question you should ask your doctor after they make their treatment recommendations, is when your decision needs to be made. Often, the decision is not needed immediately, which can be critical in reducing everyone's anxiety about, and thorough review of, the options available. It's critical to be totally honest about the your loved one's priorities in undergoing treatment. These could range from maintaining a specific quality of life even if that means stopping or not undergoing treatment in the first place to surviving as long as possible regardless of the difficulty of treatment.

Here are some specific questions to ask when your doctor makes a recommendation so everyone can really understand all the ramifications involved in each decision:

The first challenge may be the fact that it can be hard to begin these discussions. This may be due to any number of the following:

Support One Another

Once you identify these potential barriers and start talking with each other, you can get more support and resources to make the best decisions. In each decision, your loved one's viewpoint should be considered first and foremost. This is often the most difficult realization and acceptance for caregivers. However, even when disagreements occur, remember to keep communicating openly with each other and to support your loved one in his or her choices.

Download our Treatment Option Worksheet so you can help your loved one work through the options available.