Continuing to work

Work can help you to keep your sense of identity with a life-limiting illness

Being seriously ill can mean you lose control, independence and the sense of feeling normal. This can also be true for your Carer.  You or your carer may want to try to continue to work. There are things you may need to consider.

If you keep working, your personal and business relationships can be affected. Palliative care services may be able to help. They may have information for your workplace.

The personal experience of life-limiting illness becomes a public one when work colleagues are informed. Your illness will affect not only you but also the people that you work with. This is the same if your carer continues to work. Work colleagues can be unsure of how to respond. This can lead to communication problems. Some people will avoid important issues. Ignorance may cause people to be scared and distance themselves. The seriousness of the illness needs to be acknowledged. It needs to be talked about. This may avoid emotional stress within the workplace and for you.