• Find out what possible scenarios you may have to witness. If necessary, visit the hospital unit beforehand, without your patient. That way, you can steel yourself, without showing your distress to the patient.
  
  
  
• Some diseases involve painful or difficult treatment, examples: chemotherapy or dialysis.
  

  For the new patient and his family, these can be frightening and shocking. You are both thrust into an alien situation, without really knowing what to expect. You may need to have the strength and stomach to witness injections, oozing blood, vomit, etc. . The routine, apparently impassive behavior of the staff is further disconcerting. Obviously, all this can be quite hard to deal with. Especially if you have never been exposed to the medical field, beforehand. If you have received no counseling, all this can be overwhelming.
  

  
  

  
  
• Disease symptoms themselves can be very hard. Watching a loved one in acute distress is never going to be easy.
  
  
  
• Further, many chronic diseases are degenerative. You require to prepare yourself for all the possible pitfalls.

Only when you are prepared, can you start helping the patient prepare. You will have to learn to be matter-of-fact and emotionally restrained, if you want to provide any assistance to your patient.