Let’s Talk About What Matters: Finding the Courage To Seek Care
Photo courtesy of Samaritan.
BY PHILLIP W. HEATH MS | President and CEO, Samaritan
June is Men’s Health Month, a time to raise awareness about the health challenges men face and to encourage conversations around prevention, wellness, and care. For me, is also an opportunity to recognize something I witness more and more in the world of hospice and palliative care: the remarkable courage men show when navigating serious illness, and the equally profound compassion shown by the men who care for others.
Heart disease, cancer, and stroke remain among the leading health concerns for men, particularly those over the age of 65. When someone is living with a serious illness – whether cancer, heart failure, or another life-limiting condition – healthcare becomes about more than treatment alone. It becomes a conversation about family, purpose, relationships, and what matters most.
In hospice and palliative care, we are privileged to walk alongside individuals and families during some of life’s most vulnerable moments. At Samaritan, our teams often witness a quiet but powerful transformation as men begin to open up about the things they carry in their hearts. We hear stories about the families they worked tirelessly to support, the lessons they hope to pass down, the regrets they wish they could change, and the memories they treasure most deeply.
For some men, asking for help or speaking openly about fear and uncertainty does not come easily. Yet there is extraordinary strength in those conversations. There is courage in saying, “I need support,” or “I’m ready to talk about what comes next.” These moments remind us that vulnerability is not weakness — it is humanity.
Men’s Health Month is also an important time to recognize the countless male caregivers who provide comfort and support to loved ones every day. I’ve often talked about the needs of male caregivers with my colleague Greg Payton, who serves on Samaritan’s Board of Trustees. Greg is many things — an executive, a professor at Rowan University, a retired officer in the U.S. Army Reserves. He has also been a caregiver for both of his parents as they lived with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Caregiving can be deeply meaningful, but it can also be emotionally and physically demanding. Caregivers need encouragement, support, and opportunities to care for their own well-being. With all his skills and accomplishments, Greg still recognized the complex challenge of caring for his parents — so he asked for help, and received it, understanding how important it was to be surrounded by an expert and compassionate care team.
Now he is passionate about urging caregivers, especially men who are reluctant to seek assistance, to accept the help of others. Healthcare providers like Samaritan offer a wealth of support services available with a simple phone call.
Sons caring for aging parents, husbands supporting spouses through illness, brothers, partners, and friends stepping into caregiving roles with dedication and grace — these individuals are an essential part of someone’s care journey. This month, let us encourage open conversations about men’s health and the importance of compassionate care. And let us honor the courage of those facing illness — and the caregivers walking beside them — with empathy, dignity, and support.
Should you, or someone you love, need care or caregiver support, please visit SamaritanNJ.org to find information on available care services and caregiver resources.
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