Chronic Illness and Disability Essay

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Chronic Illness and Disability Essay

1. Mr. Edwards is 20-year-old male patient who is admitted for treatment of recurring pyelonephritis (kidney infection) and surgical treatment of a urinary stricture, which has decreased the urinary stream. Mr. Edwards has paraplegia; he is paralyzed from the waist down secondary to an automobile accident when he was 16. He came by ambulance to the hospital, leaving his wheelchair and wheelchair pressure-relieving cushion at home.Chronic Illness and Disability Essay According to the nursing history, the patient is a nonsmoker and he does not drink alcohol or take any illegal drugs.

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  1. What nursing considerations should be made for Mr. Edwards related to his disability?
  2. What health promotion and prevention education does Mr. Edwards need?

2. Ms. Fulton is a 38-year-old mother who was recently diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a chronic disease of the neuromuscular system. Management of this disease process requires strict adherence to a medication regimen. The disease also affects ADLs for the patient and her family. Additionally, because myasthenia gravis is characterized by exacerbations that may require hospitalizations, Ms. Fulton has had to resign from her position as president of a marketing firm. She has remained as an employee of the same company, but now serves as a consultant with more flexible work hours. Chronic Illness and Disability Essay

  1. In discussing management of her chronic disease, the nurse focuses on what types of strategies?
  2. Describe supportive nursing care that may be helpful to Ms. Fulton.
The Social Issue to be Discussed and the Nature of the Issue Serious, or Chronic, Illness and disabilities affect nearly 72 million working age adults, which is 39 percent of the working population in the United States (Tu and Cohen 2009). Chronic illnesses are ailments that are protracted, do not resolve spontaneously, and are rarely cured completely (Centers for Disease Control, 2009). Similar to chronic illness, disabilities tends to be a longer-term condition. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines people as disabled if they have an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or are regarded as having such an impairment (1991).Chronic Illness and Disability Essay A diagnosis of a chronic illness does not…show more content…
This is relevant from a social work perspective because clients (employees) with an illness or disability can be considered a vulnerable population and it is the duty of a social worker, as outlined by the Code of Ethics, to defend the rights of at-risk populations (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). While there are several Ethical Principles in the Social Work Code of Ethics that pertain to this specific topic, the most relevant are the values of Social Justice and the Importance of Human Relationships. As a Social Justice Advocate, a social worker is compelled to act on behalf of those who are vulnerable and oppressed to ensure that access to information, resources, opportunity, and involvement in their care is available (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). A social worker should ensure that the employee has access to all of the rights and benefits they are entitled to, as well as serve as an advocate for cultural or policy change in order to accommodate the needs of the client. Additionally, a social worker should value the Importance of Human Relationships and serve as a liaison between the employer and employee to ensure that a healthy and purposeful relationship is maintained,

One of the greatest achievements in this century is the improvement in the standard of health care. Child health, in particular, has made great strides.Chronic Illness and Disability Essay World Health Organization figures show that infant and child mortality rates are on a steady decline world-wide. With this, there is also a change in disease patterns. The leading causes of death are no longer infective diseases e.g. measles and tuberculosis. Rather, chronic illnesses are becoming the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. As the standard of care continues to improve, the number of children with chronic illnesses surviving will continue to increase. This has resulted in a shift in the focus of health care, from ensuring survival to enhancing the quality of life of those who do survive. The impact of a chronic illness, thus, becomes an important concept to understand and appreciate.

A chronic illness is defined as one that was present for, or expected to last a lengthy duration. Examples of childhood chronic illnesses include asthma, allergies, cancer etc. The frequency of a child with a chronic illness is not as low as we might imagine. A 1991 study on the prevalence and impact of chronic illness among adolescents estimated that 31.5% of the adolescents in the United States had one or more a chronic illness, with 4% of the pediatric population sustaining significant limitations in functioning.

The role of the healthcare professionals in managing a child with a chronic illness is probably the clearest of them all. Medicine, however, is far from being the panacea of all sickness. In fact, in many diseases, the physician’s role revolves around controlling the condition or retarding its progression.Chronic Illness and Disability Essay The physical effects of a disease are perhaps the most obvious manifestation. The psycho social aspects, on the other hand, are more silent and can be easily overlooked or taken lightly.

A chronic illness incurs special needs such as daily medical treatment, special education, social services, limitations in daily activities etc. These are challenges that can easily become a burden because of their permanence. There is no doubt that having a chronic illness in childhood is associated with an increased risk of psychological and behavioral problems. Research has shown that children with chronic illnesses sustain more emotional trauma. An Ontario study showed that children with both chronic illness and associated disability are at three-fold risk for psychiatric disorders and at considerable risk for social adjustment problems. Children with chronic medical conditions but no disability were at considerably less risk: about a two-fold increase in psychiatric disorders but little increased risk for social adjustment problems. Common psycho social problems encountered include low self-esteem, feelings of isolation and poor academic performance.

There is, however, also evidence that not all children with the same condition develop the same psycho social problems.Chronic Illness and Disability Essay This suggests that moderating factors may have a role in determining the outcome. Recent research have focused on trying to identify these risk and protective factors, with the hope that a better understanding would help us predict and/or prevent these problems. Broad groupings identified so far include the characteristics of a condition, the personality of the child, the family structure and the community.

The findings of the Ontario study and several other studies suggested that the characteristics of a condition affected the outcome of a child. Further research into this area has yielded several factors. An uncertain prognosis, a remitting course, an unstable symptoms (e.g. a seizure), an invisible condition, complex therapies or chronic pain all predispose to risk. Child factors are less well studied as the characteristic of a child changes with time. While little is known, evidence shows that the male gender, a temperamental personality, and intellectual impairment predisposes to risks.

The family system may either be a source of risk or protection to the child. The opposite also holds true. A child with a chronic illness may also affect the functioning of the family.Chronic Illness and Disability Essay Chronic conditions can present the family with a whole set of extra tasks, responsibilities and worries. These demands can take over family life and can have an impact on the affect of a parent, financial security of a family and inter family relationships. The way a family responds to the young person can either magnify or moderate these risks. Family flexibility, adaptive coping, social integration, positive meanings ascribed to condition, good communication, and clear boundaries all appear to be good moderating variables. Research has also shown that the siblings of children with chronic illness are generally only at a slightly increased risk for psychiatric disorders or social maladjustment. Hence, siblings should be offered treatment only when sound clinical indications are found.

Families, in turn, are part of the communities in which they live. Informal support networks appear to be the key in assisting families. If informal supports are not sufficient, formal helping systems (e.g. social work and or psychological services) may be the solution. An important part of the child’s community is the school, since most children spend a large part of their lives there. Studies have shown that participation in school also has a great effect on a child’s sense of belonging and good self esteem. It follows that the lack of it has a negative effect. Young people value school but they need support from others to help them cope.Chronic Illness and Disability Essay Even when an illness does not itself result in cognitive impairment, children with chronic illness perform less well academically than their healthier peers. Informal supports most frequently cited included parents (especially mothers), teachers and close friends.

The main difficulties faced in school were the implications of school absence, exclusion from school life, teacher’s reactions to illness or disability, and peer relationships. Absenteeism from school may be the result of doctor’s appointments, treatment days or sick days. Coping strategies used by students included using lunch breaks and free periods to work, making arrangements to priorities subjects, arranging for notes to be taken in their absence, having work sent to them at home, and access to teachers who will explain it to them. Exclusion from school life predisposes to a feeling of isolation. Where possible, efforts should be made to modify school activities so as to allow participation.Chronic Illness and Disability Essay Teacher’s reactions are also crucial to how a young person with a chronic illness feels about school. A teacher was viewed to be understanding if he/she were aware of their health condition, understood its impact on their school work and activities, made appropriate modifications to activities with minimal fuss. Peer relationships can also either be a source of support or misery. Some children report having friends that “watch out” for them and support them while others report problems with peers. The latter include bullying and isolation.

Despite the odds seemingly stacked against them, the outcome for children with chronic illness is not necessarily bleak. There are data that suggests that these children can make a smooth transition to adulthood given the right environment. As growth and development are dynamic processes, the risk-protection ratio can be changed. It is hoped that this knowledge will give us the opportunity to enhance the lives of children with chronic illnesses. Chronic Illness and Disability Essay

When people hear the word “disability” mostly they straightaway think of someone in a wheelchair however disability can be someone who is blind, deaf, someone who has the mental illness, someone with permit illness, people with learning disabilities or people who have brain injuries. This assignment will discuss possible advantage and problems of disability and understand this feature of our lives as entirely social contracted. It will contain more information about types of disabilities and how it changed to social contracted now and before with evidence and references.

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In society the concept of disability has changed over the years, in the 17th century disability was seen as a problem, where individuals with disability would be put into a mental healthcare unit where they would not receive the right care they need.Chronic Illness and Disability Essay However this has changed over the years as now disability is seen as a norm. Furthermore the term disability is used to describe a condition or function where individuals physical impairment, intellectual impairment, cognitive impairment is affected by many different types of chronic disease.
The advantages of disability in some countries such us United Kingdom (UK) are, people with disability have support from the government and also the society. For example children and adults with a disability, disorders can have free professional care assistant who visits them three times a day to help them with their needs. They receive income support, free mobility aid and health care products. They additionally get assistance from society because numerous individuals believe that individuals with disability ought to get assistance from them on the off chance that they truly require it, for instance, getting in the transport.Chronic Illness and Disability Essay