When a friend or family member is dealing with a serious health issue like dementia or cancer, we often don’t know what to say or how to react. We might want to tell them how scared their illness makes us feel, or avoid talking about the elephant in the room altogether, only to see our words make the patient or family members uncomfortable.

Here’s a nice LA Times article about How Not to Say the Wrong Thing. As a cancer patient and family member of elders who had dementia, I heartily endorse these guidelines.

Here’s another perspective, focused on lung cancer. 10 Things Not to Say to Someone With Lung Cancer