Practical ways to use artificial intelligence to reduce the mental load, stay organized, and find support during a difficult time.
Navigating a life-limiting illness can bring an enormous amount of information, responsibility, and emotion into an already full life.
There are appointments to prepare for, questions to ask, meals to organize, decisions to make, family members to communicate with, and practical responsibilities that can quickly become overwhelming. Whether you are the person living with the illness or someone supporting a loved one, it can sometimes feel like there simply isn't enough time or energy to manage everything.
One tool that I think is worth exploring is artificial intelligence (AI).
AI isn't a replacement for healthcare professionals, counsellors, family support, or the human connection that is so important during illness and grief. However, it can be a surprisingly helpful tool for taking some of the administrative and organizational burden off your shoulders.
You don't need to be particularly tech-savvy to use it, either. Many AI platforms allow you to speak your thoughts aloud rather than type them, which can be especially helpful when you're tired, overwhelmed, or short on time.
Here are some practical ways AI can help make navigating a life-limiting illness a little easier.
1. Preparing for medical appointments
When you're navigating a serious illness, it's easy to leave an appointment and realize there were questions you forgot to ask. Sometimes you don't even know what questions you should be asking.
AI can be a helpful place to organize your thoughts before an appointment.
You can use voice dictation to speak freely about what's on your mind, even if your thoughts aren't particularly organized. Ask AI to turn those thoughts into a clear, organized list of questions to bring to your next appointment.
For example, you might say:
"I'm preparing for my next oncology appointment. I want to follow up on my radiation schedule and find out where I can access the details. I also want to know whether my medical notes have been transferred to my primary care physician. I'd like to ask what my family can do to support me at home, whether there are things we should be doing more of or avoiding, and who I should contact if I have concerns between appointments. Can you organize these thoughts into a list of questions?"
You can also use this approach if you're accompanying someone to an appointment. Often, family members and caregivers have their own questions and concerns that deserve to be heard.
Another helpful use is capturing unfamiliar medical terminology or language used during an appointment. Rather than asking AI to interpret or explain medical information, you can ask it to help you create a list of terms or statements you would like clarified by your physician.
For example:
"During my last appointment, my doctor used some terminology that I didn't fully understand. I remember the terms were X, Y, and Z. Can you organize these into a list of questions I can bring to my next appointment so I can ask my physician to explain what they mean in the context of my care?"
Recording medical appointments
Another option worth considering is recording a medical appointment so you can revisit the conversation afterward.
Medical appointments can involve a lot of information, and it isn't always easy to absorb everything in the moment. You may be processing a diagnosis, listening to treatment options, or trying to remember several different recommendations.
With the permission of your healthcare professional and everyone else present, you may be able to use a recording or transcription tool to capture the conversation. You could also ask the family member or companion accompanying you to help with this.
For example, you might simply ask your physician:
"Would you be comfortable with me recording this appointment so I can listen back afterward and make sure I've understood everything?"
Some AI tools can help transcribe recorded conversations and organize the information into a summary or list of follow-up questions. This can be particularly helpful when you're attending multiple appointments or managing a lot of information.
A few important considerations:
Always ask permission before recording and ensure everyone in the room understands what is being recorded.
Obtain the consent of everyone present, including your healthcare professional and any other family members or care providers.
Check the healthcare provider's recording policies and the privacy and data-storage practices of any tool you use.
Be mindful that recordings and transcripts can contain highly sensitive personal health information. Avoid uploading identifiable medical recordings to consumer AI platforms unless you have confirmed that doing so is appropriate and sufficiently protects everyone's privacy.
Review any AI-generated summaries against the original recording or your own notes. AI transcription can make mistakes, particularly with medical terminology.
The goal isn't to replace your physician's explanations or medical records. It's simply to give yourself another opportunity to revisit information, reflect on what was discussed, and prepare any questions you may have afterward.
2. Planning meals and creating grocery lists
Food can become complicated when someone is navigating a life-limiting illness.
Appetite changes, nausea, fatigue, treatment side effects, and dietary recommendations can all influence what someone feels like eating. Sometimes the challenge is simply figuring out what to prepare when you don't have much energy.
AI can help create meal plans and grocery lists based on specific needs and preferences.
For example, you could say:
"I'm helping care for someone who is going through cancer treatment. They are currently finding smaller meals easier to manage and prefer simple foods. Their healthcare team has recommended a high-protein diet. Could you suggest a seven-day meal plan with simple recipes and a corresponding grocery list?"
You can also include allergies, food preferences, ingredients to avoid, budget, or how much time you have available to prepare meals.
If there are specific dietary restrictions or food safety considerations, make sure these are based on guidance from the person's healthcare team or a registered dietitian. AI can help organize and plan around those recommendations, but it shouldn't determine what is medically appropriate.
3. Finding grief support, counselling, and mental health resources
A life-limiting illness doesn't just affect the person receiving the diagnosis. It can have a profound impact on partners, children, parents, siblings, and friends.
Anticipatory grief, anxiety, uncertainty, and caregiver burnout are all experiences that people may navigate along the way.
Finding the right support can sometimes feel like another overwhelming task.
AI can help you begin identifying counsellors, therapists, grief specialists, and support groups based on your location and preferences.
For example:
"I live in Victoria, British Columbia, and I'm looking for a counsellor who has experience supporting people navigating anticipatory grief and the emotional impact of a life-limiting illness. I would prefer in-person appointments, but I'm open to virtual sessions. Can you help me find five qualified professionals, provide a brief overview of their experience, and include links to their websites?"
You can be as specific as you like about the kind of support you're looking for.
One Canadian resource worth knowing about is First Session. It helps people find therapists across Canada and allows you to search by location, areas of specialization, and whether you are looking for virtual or in-person appointments. You can also watch introductory videos to get a sense of the therapist before reaching out.
AI can help you find possible resources, but it shouldn't be used as a substitute for mental health support or counselling. Take the time to connect with qualified professionals who can offer the support you need.
4. Finding an end-of-life doula
End-of-life doulas offer non-medical emotional, practical, spiritual, and informational support to people who are navigating dying and to those who love them.
However, finding a doula who feels like the right fit can take time.
AI can help you begin that search.
For example:
"I'm looking for an end-of-life doula who works with people navigating a life-limiting illness. I live in British Columbia, but I'm open to working with someone virtually from anywhere in Canada. I'm particularly interested in someone with experience supporting families, facilitating difficult conversations, and providing anticipatory grief support. Can you suggest five people or organizations, provide a brief biography of each, explain their services, and include links to their websites?"
You can also ask for recommendations based on particular needs, such as family support, legacy projects, navigating difficult conversations, or practical end-of-life planning.
As with any professional recommendation generated by AI, take the time to verify credentials, experience, services, and availability directly with the individual. Many offer free consultations.
5. Organizing caregiving responsibilities and schedules
When someone becomes seriously ill, the practical responsibilities can quickly accumulate.
There may be appointments to attend, meals to prepare, household tasks to manage, and someone who needs to be available to provide care throughout the day or night.
Often, several family members want to help, but coordinating everyone's availability and responsibilities can become a challenge.
AI can help turn a long, overwhelming list of responsibilities into something more manageable. It can also help identify gaps in a caregiving schedule that might otherwise be overlooked.
For example, you could use voice dictation and say:
"We are organizing 24-hour care for a family member who needs someone available throughout the day and night. There are four of us who will be sharing caregiving responsibilities. I can help Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings but cannot do overnight shifts. My sister is available during the day on weekdays. My brother works full-time but can help on weekends, and our other family member can do overnight shifts twice a week. Could you help us create a weekly caregiving schedule that distributes responsibilities as fairly as possible? Please identify any gaps where we don't have someone available and suggest where we might need additional support."
You can also use AI to organize grocery shopping, transportation, meal preparation, household responsibilities, and appointment schedules.
Having a clear picture of who is doing what can help prevent one person from carrying the entire responsibility and make it easier to identify when additional support is needed.
Remember that any proposed schedule should be reviewed by the family and care team to ensure it meets the person's actual care needs. AI can help with coordination, but it cannot assess whether someone has adequate clinical supervision or care.
6. Writing and communicating with family and friends
Sometimes one of the hardest parts of navigating a life-limiting illness is figuring out what to say.
You might be trying to communicate something important to a family member, explain how you're feeling, set boundaries around caregiving, or provide an update to friends and extended family.
You may know exactly what you want to communicate, but struggle to put it into words.
AI can help you organize your thoughts and turn them into something more concise and easier to share.
For example:
"I'm feeling overwhelmed by the number of responsibilities involved in caring for my mother. I want to communicate to my siblings that I need more support, but I don't want the message to come across as blaming anyone. Here are the things I've been managing. Can you help me organize my thoughts into a warm but honest message that explains how I'm feeling and what kind of help I need?"
Or:
"We've had a change in my father's condition, and I need to send an update to our extended family. I'm finding it emotionally exhausting to explain everything individually. Can you help me draft a message that is warm, honest, and informative? Here is the update in my own words to start…"
You can edit the language until it feels right for you.
Sometimes having a starting point can make a difficult conversation feel a little easier.
7. Finding community resources and practical support
There are often more resources available to people navigating a life-limiting illness than they realize. The challenge is knowing where to look.
Depending on where you live, there may be hospice programs, caregiver support groups, respite services, transportation assistance, financial resources, meal delivery programs, and community organizations that offer practical support.
AI can help you identify some of these resources and narrow down your search.
For example:
"I live in Victoria, British Columbia, and I'm supporting a family member who has a life-limiting illness. I'm looking for community resources that could help with caregiver support, respite care, meal delivery, transportation to medical appointments, and emotional support for family members. Could you identify local organizations and programs, provide a brief description of what they offer, and include contact information and links?"
You can also specify whether you're looking for free services, subsidized programs, or services that can be accessed privately.
AI can be a helpful starting point, but always verify that the programs exist, are currently available, and that you meet their eligibility requirements.
A few important things to remember when using AI
While I think AI can be an incredibly useful tool, there are some important considerations.
Protect your privacy. Avoid entering identifiable medical information, full names, dates of birth, medical record numbers, or other sensitive personal details into AI platforms. You can often get the same helpful response by using general descriptions instead. Review the privacy settings of whichever platform you choose.
Don't use AI as a healthcare professional. AI can help organize questions for appointments and keep track of information you'd like to discuss with your healthcare team. It should not be used to interpret medical information, make treatment decisions, recommend medications, or replace conversations with qualified healthcare professionals.
Don't use AI as a mental health professional. AI can help organize your thoughts or draft a message about how you're feeling, but it cannot replace counselling, grief support, or the experience of being heard and supported by another person.
Verify recommendations. AI can sometimes provide outdated information or recommend services that don't exist. Check professional credentials, availability, locations, and contact information directly.
Use it as a starting point, not a replacement for human support. AI can help organize thoughts, generate ideas, and make everyday tasks easier. It cannot replace the experience of being heard, understood, and supported by another person.
A final thought
When someone is facing a life-limiting illness, or when someone you love is approaching the end of their life, there is already so much to navigate.
There are practical responsibilities, difficult conversations, emotional challenges, and countless decisions that can take up an enormous amount of time and energy.
I think one of the most helpful ways to approach AI is to ask yourself:
Is there something I'm carrying right now that I could make a little easier?
It might be organizing your questions before an appointment, creating a grocery list, coordinating caregiving responsibilities, finding community resources, or simply figuring out how to communicate something you've been struggling to put into words.
AI isn't going to make the experience of illness or grief easier in every way. But perhaps it can take a few things off your plate, allowing you to spend a little more time and energy on what matters most: caring for yourself, caring for one another, and being present.
And sometimes, that is enough.
At Victoria Death Doula, I offer emotional, spiritual, practical, and informational support to individuals and families navigating dying and grief. Support is available in person in Greater Victoria and virtually across Canada and the United States.
