ABSTRACT
When a person with a potentially serious condition is being cared for in hospital, the needs of the family for information and support can often seem a lesser priority than making an early diagnosis and starting to treat the illness. Nurses are often in daily contact with relatives when they visit a person in hospital and are in a good position to be aware of their needs. In planning nursing support, it is important that the needs of the terminally ill person and their relatives and close friends are considered together. I have found that when family members are unable or afraid to share their feelings with each other much distress can arise. Relatives and patients can give each other mutual comfort and support if they are able to talk to each other openly and are not trying to protect each other by concealing their anxieties. I include children in the term relatives because they suffer when a loved parent or relative is ill, and can sometimes be
excluded from the support professionals give to adult family members.
