Chronic Illness Of The American Population

Significant yet not widely talked about, one of the greatest issues and stressors many families have to cope with is that of chronic illness. While the family that has to cope with a loved one’s battle with cancer or a traumatic car accident is at the forefront of the minds of all those close to them, coming up in conversation and the target of prayers and well wishes, families coping with chronic illness often fade into the background. Perhaps the reason individuals do not often hear of or think of those that are chronically ill or disabled is because after the shock of an initial diagnosis, the reality of chronic illness fades from people’s thoughts because it becomes a part of ordinary, everyday life. For the many families that deal with

Living with a chronic condition not only effects the individual, but it effects the entire family. An adolescent living with a chronic health condition not only depends on their family for support, but also on support from their friends, classmates, and healthcare team (Rostami, Parsa-Yekta, Najafi Ghezeljeh, & Vanaki, 2014). Supporting an individual with a chronic disease leaves an emotional impact and can be financially straining as well. Families living with a sick child must find strategies to cope. Whether the coping strategies utilized are positive or negative, they leave a lasting effect on the entire family, as well as the child living with the condition (Woodson, Thakkar, Burbage, Kichler, & Nabors, 2015). Involvement of the parents in this situation is vital to the child’s future success in managing their illness (Landers, Friedrich, Jawad, & Miller, 2016). This paper will explore one family’s story of living with, and coping with, a child who has recently been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D).

When someone is suffering or living with a chronic illness it can have a huge impact on them psychologically and socially. Chronic Illness is a condition that is prolonged in duration, usually more than 3 months and is rarely cured (DoH, 2012). Having to cope with a chronic condition might lead to life changes, such as dependency on others, loss of income, which can cause feelings of loss and reduced self-esteem. They can also report feelings of social rejection, poor healthcare and workplace termination due to their presenting condition (Earnshaw, Quinn, & Park, 2011).

The Washington Post reported on June 16, “Once again, the United States has most the expensive, least effective health care system in survey.” It’s apparent that the United States healthcare system is in an economic crisis. Furthermore, the United States healthcare system is not only in economic turmoil, but the social systems currently in place offer little to no future economic resolve for the predicament we are currently situated in. The paradox that seems to have fallen upon American healthcare is that, “The system doesn’t want you to die, but at the same time doesn’t want you to get well.” Heineman (2012) It is bad business. In other words, medicine is a business and I have witnessed this approach towards business in medicine first hand in my over five years of clinical and business experience in the medical field.

The major stressors of hospitalized children include fear of the unknown and unfamiliar people. Lying to children about upsetting realities, such as their diagnosis or a procedure that is occurring, is ineffective and does not help children deal with stress. Educating children on their treatment better prepares them for stressful situations while hospitalized. While nurses identify crying as a sign of stress, child life specialist recognize crying as an effective coping mechanism for stress (Kaddoura). While both nurses and child life specialists are helpful to treating a child, child life specialists focus on children’s emotions while nurses focus on medical care. The issue here is that not all hospitals have child life specialists, so the emotions of children are disregarded. Although medical care is obviously a priority while a child is hospitalized, a child’s emotion and stress are very important to their recovery and health. Research shows that focusing on children’s emotions with the use of child life specialists makes a difference for children and families. Child life programs have been shown to reduce children’s pain, decrease the emotional distress children feel while in the hospital, and lower parents’ anxiety about their children’s hospital stays

Chronic illness sucks. Many families in Canada and around the world live with a person who has one or more chronic condition. Chrionic conditions can range from heart disease, injury, cancer, and mental illness. Chronic conditions are “impairments in function, development, or disease states that are irreversible . Chronic illness Over the course of three interviews This paper will explore the effects of chronicity on families living with chronic condiditons through research and recounting of interviews .

I have been exposed to a variety of clinical experiences that have developed my nursing proficiencies and passion for caring for these children. This floor has allowed me to work with patients and families that have a complex chronic illness as a result of their cancer diagnosis and treatments received. It has also given me the opportunity to treat acute illnesses that develop as a result of these children disease process, treatment, and immunocompromised status. These experiences have provided me a strong foundation to build my skills and knowledge of these disease

With the huge diversity and changeability of human biology, it is impossible to imagine a reality without some mutations, changes, or issues in the organs and tissues of humans. Thus, it rightly follows that medications and pharmaceuticals have been created in an effort to counteract the various ailments and illnesses that people can experience. However, as time has gone on and these pharmaceuticals have become more and more high-tech, regulated, and trusted, they have also become incredibly commercialized. Worse still, medications have become incredibly expensive and can be unattainable for some people.

The greatest threat to democracy as a way of life, not just a political arrangement, but as an attitude of mind - is authoritarianism. Authoritarianism is stoked by fear, both rational and irrational, and it looks to a strong punitive leader who promises to use force to end threats by outsiders and persons "not like us." It seeks order and stability at all costs. It subscribes to a command-and-obey or "top down" or hierarchical mentality. This is directly opposed to a democratic or "horizontal" mentality, characterized by openmindness, cooperation, and respect for others as equals.

The chronic disease burden has increased the need for a statewide and national approach in its detection, prevention, and treatment of heart failure. In the state of Indiana heart disease is shown to be leading the way with a total of 13,394 individuals who have died in 2013 (Indiana State, 2013). The health indicators show that although the mortality rate has decreased from 42.3 per 100,000 in 2001 to 37.3 per 100,000 hospitalization rates have increased (Center for Disease, 2011). Heart failure rehospitalization rate has increased from 2007-2011 especially in those who are over the age of 85. In 2011, there were a total of 41.9 per 1,000 hospitalizations due to heart failure. This is gradually increasing from the Healthy People 2020

Throughout the United States of America obesity is an ongoing problem for people among different socioeconomic statuses. The government, pharmaceutical, agricultural and food production companies are the leading cause of obesity, resulting in many health issues among Americans. The government wants people to be unhealthy to increase their income from the healthcare industry and Americans are falsely educated on the topic of their health and diet.

Chronic Illness Management is a comprehensive inpatient program for adolescents 13-21 who struggle to manage their condition. The program provides teens and their family with comprehensive treatment plan to address medical, nutritional, psychological, and family communication issues. Children with chronic, life limiting or altering diseases may receive Pediatric Palliative Care.

Many individuals do not recognize the elements of food they consume, whether they’re healthy or unhealthy. In America, we are surrounded by supermarkets and restaurants who sell good and bad foods, which are hard to avoid. We develop cravings such as foods that contain high sugar and fat. This leads to chronic health issues. Whole foods are converted to processed foods, deceiving a person trying to follow a diet. Some believe that we can eat anything and our bodies will filter it out naturally despite what we see in public and hear in the news. According to my independent research, eating all types of food and thinking it will allow our body to figure out what should properly be digested is a strong risk to take.

The Somalis are one of the largest groups of new refugees to arrive in the United States in the last two decades. Most Somali refugees resettling in the United States have arrived from refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. A substantial number of Somali refugees have witnessed refugee camps. Families who were admitted to the US as a refugee could file refugee/asylee relative petition and could bring their spouses or their children. However, the U.S. accepts large numbers of Somalis. Most of those refugees live in Minnesota and many other cities. Before they arrive in the U.S, medical practitioners at the refugee camps make sure that none of those refugees carries any transmittable diseases.

According to the American Cancer Society in 2014 there is an estimated of 585,720 cancer deaths in the United States. Remaining in the second place of the most common cause of death in the country. Being diagnosed with terminal cancer changed any person life. The patient start suffering all kind of physical and psychological problems, related to the imminent death. During this period the doctor, the patient, and the family form an indispensable bond in order to help the terminal ill person to cope with the symptoms and complications the best possible way. However, this bond is usually broken in cases where one of the subjects decide to withhold information from another.