Essays on Chronic Illness

Introduction

Occupational therapy focuses on increasing participation in a client’s daily activities. It involves the identification of environmental barriers that limit the customer’s ability to perform his or her daily activities and eliminating them. This is done by modifying the tasks, educating and teaching the skills to the client to enhance his or her daily activities. More emphasis is placed on the needs and goals of the client. Young@Heart is a film about a chorus composed of senior citizens. They sing contemporary songs as well as pop and classic rock songs. Eighty is the average age of ...

Acute illnesses are those conditions which take a very short duration before a patient fully recovers from them. Such conditions may either be minor or serious. Minor acute conditions are the ones that form the bulk of healthcare problems faced by persons living in communities like skin rashes or respiratory tract infections (Jones et al., 2010). Major acute illnesses on the other hand may come in the form of an acute exacerbation of a chronic illness which an individual may be dealing with as at a particular time or if a person experiences a sudden onset of a condition ...

Psychology of stress

Describe neuroscience and neuroplasticity. Explain the importance to the brain. Neuroplasticity alludes to the capacity of the mind to re-model and change with a specific end goal to have the capacity to adjust to new conditions. Neuroplasticity works in exceptionally intriguing routes, for example, we can be accustomed to doing a given kind of action ordinary or more often than not, and this makes us get acquainted with it and it gradually changes to end up distinctly our propensity. This procedure of adaption is the manner by which Neuroplasticity works in light of the fact that once we quit ...

Introduction:

In addition to the physiological factors, there are a number of psychological factors that play a major role on musculoskeletal pain that can lead to disability. After the patient has healed from the physiological factors that led to the experience of pain, there are still fear avoidance beliefs that can take the form of chronic pain in the mind, so that the patient resists increases in physical activity levels. Ironically, the decision to reduce physical activity levels in response to this combination of physical pain and psychological fears keeps the back pain chronic, as the patient never overcomes the ...

Diabetes is a chronic illness characterized by absent or reduced pancreatic production of insulin and decreased cellular sensitivity to insulin. The result is a rise in blood sugar levels which does harm to body tissues. Obesity, or a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, accounts for up to 85% of an individual’s risk of having type 2 diabetes (T2DM), which is the more common type (Eckel et al., 2011). Statistics show that obesity occurs more in older adults with more than a third of adults 65 years old and over considered obese (Eckel et al., 2011). ...

Smoking is a learned habit that has existed in the society for long. This allows us to understand how the habit affects health and wellbeing both. Though the country may make millions of dollars selling tobacco, it spends several times more on treating diseases caused by the smoking habit. Explain why sociology is useful in helping us to challenge the dominance of biomedicine and understand health and health care as shaped by biopsychosocial factors. The society we belong treats scientific knowledge as proven and reliable information to improve once understanding about the world we live. Biomedical understanding of diseases ...

Criminal justice organization faces complex and major challenges. It is worth noting that the criminal justice organization is responding to the challenges through diverse initiatives. The chronic health issue is one of the problems affecting the criminal justice organization. This is linked to the increase in operating costs. It is essential for the organization to comprehend the personal and health lives of the employees. One of the reasons for this concern is employee’s health. Analytically, the payout that the organization makes on chronic health issues has tremendously increased. It means that the resources which are meant to enhance ...

Introduction: Smoking is a learned habit that has existed in the society for long. This allows us to understand how the habit affects health and wellbeing both in the short term and in the long term. This injurious habit of smoking has taken a commonplace in our culture. Tobacco, the key ingredient in cigarettes, is the leading cause of avoidable illness in the world. A person who smokes 2 packs of cigarette per day, spends ~ 3-4 hours per day on smoking and inhales 1000mg of tar each day. The health care cost is several times higher for smokers when ...

Introduction

In the recent years, healthcare professionals especially nurses have been faced with numerous health challenges especially due to various changes in the healthcare demands and advancements in science and technology. As such, these challenges impede the delivery of quality as well as safe care to patients thereby resulting to poor outcomes among the users of healthcare services. For instance, the increase in incidences of chronic illness that include diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension coupled with technological advancements like the use of EHR (electronic Health Systems) provide a huge challenge to nurses. This can be attributed to lack of the ...

Introduction

The Bhopal disaster is considered to be the deadliest event in the corporate history of the world. Due to the leakage of lethal gases out of the factory, there were around 4000 deaths within 72 hours, while the number surged to around 15,000 within few weeks. It has been estimated by that 200,000 people became permanently disabled due to this incident. This incident is a pure case of intense corporate negligence. This case caused a major foreign investment dispute between government of India and Union Carbide Corporation. This dispute arose from the notion that some companies have ...

Reflect on your Own Cultural Competence and your Current View of Your Culture as Well as Other Cultural Groups

I live in the developing state of the USA, known as Dallas Texas. My roots belong to White Americans who share the most common culture. From a religious perspective, I am Protestant, unlike, the other Americans who follow Catholic, Muslim or Jewish practices. As I am White American, so my spoken English is quite clear than Latin Americans living in the same region. White Americans share a common culture, unlike the Black American people. My parents got separated when I was a child; my mother is a single parent who rose me up. As America is comprised of different ...

Part 1

The realization that illnesses can be cumbersome to contain especially in the event that the patient is approaching the end of their lives is an issue that cannot be understated. In such situations, therefore, there is the need to have in place strategies that will satisfactorily address the problems associated with such life-limiting sickness (Palliative care NSW, 2012). In this direction, therefore, one of the most appropriate ways through which these illnesses can be solved is by employing the palliative care in addressing the problems that such patients and their families may be going through. As such, there is ...

Introduction

Proper treatment is essential to the recovery of patients. Lack thereof compromises the possibilities of a patient getting better due to the administration of bad medical practices. Palliative care is an efficient procedure commonly utilized at the end of life treatment. It involves the initiatives implemented by a health institution to help improve the patient’s quality of life and the response of their families to an illness that threatens one’s life. This approach is made possible through assessment, prevention, pain treatment, psychological, physical and spiritual discomforts (Bhatnagar & Joshi, 2011). With this in mind, it is worth appreciating ...

Abstract

PTSD symptoms among adolescents are largely connected with early start of alcohol usage hence making it imperative to diagnose and treat PTSD-associated signs before they escalate to chronic levels. Children with a number of post-traumatic stress disorders are more likely to engage in alcohol abuse than adolescents who are not exposed to trauma. With alarming rates at which adolescents use alcohol, it is appropriate that research activities be undertaken to investigate the abuse of alcohol among adolescents with PTSD. It is imperative to reduce fatality incidences of PTSD by providing the necessary support from psychiatrics professionals, family members and ...

Critical Thinking Skills Applied to Real Life Problems

Critical Thinking Skills Applied to Real Life Problems

Introduction

The challenges of modern life pose many problems in one’s daily life and increasing standards of performance and competitiveness in both personal as well as professional spheres of life present people with different issues and problems. The basic and simple problems are also usually compounded by the faulty thinking and perception of those involved in the thinking process surrounding a situation. The inequality of opportunities and lack of level playing field usually translates into challenges at work and in personal life, which if not overcome within a reasonable span of ...

Medicare part (A) covers skilled nursing facility, hospice, home health facilities homecare, nursing home care and inpatient hospital care (Hess, 2012, p.560). Medicare part A will normally recompense for the charges during the first sixty days after one pays the deductibles.

Medicare part A willfully cover Mrs. Zwick’s impatient hospital care for the five days stay. It will cover fully the cost of the first 20days, and partially the cost of the 21st day. It fully covers the homecare services as well. This premium will cater for Mrs. Zwick’s medical expenses while at the skilled nursing facility ...

The Health Homes Act (Section 2703)

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provided a wide range if avenues along which patients and populations at risk would be provided with better and improved channels for care access in spite of their economic, social and cultural restraints to access of care (Hofer, Abraham & Moscovice, 2011). One of the major aspects of the ACA mainly focused on the need to open up as many channels as possible for people with chronic illnesses or those at risk of chronic illnesses to aces quality care. The costs of treatment and management of chronic illnesses is one that has remained highly documented over ...

Stress is the tension or pressure on the mind when an unwanted condition arises. Stress is known as a situation where one is not happy with the results of the work done. There are many causes of stress, and many things which can cause stress. From household chores to the national and international level, the stress appears on every individual. There are some kinds of stress that appear for a short time, while there are some kinds of stress that prolong for many years upon an individual or upon any company that is called a long term stress or long prevailing ...

Introduction

Alternative or Manipulative therapy has been used since 400 BC. Modern medicine that using surgery and drug therapy have many disadvantages. These include Post-surgery pain, side-effects and high costs. Over the decades, alternative therapy has been a useful for treating osteoporosis and other musculoskeletal disorders. Of the different alternative interventions for musculoskeletal disorders, osteopathy and chiropractic systems have been widely used around the globe. Since traditional allopathic medications had many drawbacks, physicians recommend patients to undergo alternative or manipulative therapy.

The Decline of Allopathic Medicine

Allopathic medicine was the only intervention for the treatment of ‘bone setting’ in the early 19th century. No alternative or ...

Introduction

Quality of life is the quality of an individual’s daily life indicates the assessment of quality of wellbeing and lack of wellbeing. Wellbeing of a person maybe in terms of physical and psychological aspects. In healthcare, health related quality of life (HRQL) is the assessment which shows how the wellbeing of an individual may be affected in the future by any disease, disorders or disabilities. This paper is a concept analysis of health related quality of life in young people who are suffering with chronic illness. Concept analysis is a way of deriving conceptual hierarchy from a collection of objects and their ...

Introduction

A health care system has two types of models in practice including; the traditional model and dispersed model. In particular, the traditional model employed in a health care setting involves primary care, secondary care, and tertiary care of patients. In that, a patient goes to primary care and receives treatment of the common problems diagnosed. The problems that go unsolved are referred to the secondary care, and the tertiary care is for those cases that require intensive care provision. The knack to communicate ideas and information successfully is increasingly acknowledged as critical to the success of the health care system ...

Obesity is now a health concern worldwide affecting all nations, developing and developed nations alike. The disease has now “reached pandemic proportions” with every country struggling to fight the health problem using various public health approaches but unsuccessfully (Swinburn). Accordingly, there is the proposal to enact laws that will help reduce obesity rates and subsequent chronic illness (Meetoo 565). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rank cigarette smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. However, if left unchecked, obesity will overcome cigarette as the leading cause of preventable death. This is indeed true ...

The discussion I had regarding the will

‘Prior to my grandfather’s death, he ensured that everything was smooth for his children. He clearly expressed what his end of life wishes were. There would be no life support at any single moment. This created a peaceful atmosphere to all who were concerned about him’. Having said that, I agreed with my family members that, in case I have a chronic illness, a fatal accident or any other condition that might lead to my untimely death in a short while, it would be advisable for them to ensure that the doctor handling me withholds any medical procedures that might prolong my ...

Of Alcoholic Drinks on the Human Body

Effects of Alcoholic Drinks on the Human Body Christmas is fast approaching; many people are now busy with their holiday shopping and most of the malls are now crowded with buyers aiming to buy goods at a cheaper price. Aside from the food ingredients, the holidays are not complete without a bottle of alcoholic drinks. Beers, wines, vodka, martini and Bloody Mary are one of the few popular names for alcoholic drinks, Tempting it may sound but alcoholic drinks are harmful to the body. Gifford, Friedman and Majerus (2009) argue that drinking alcohol causes the human body to become vulnerable ...

Introduction The increasing technological advancement, changing healthcare policies and progression of some illness calls for evidence-based research in heath care. The need to adapting to new techniques in the contemporary nursing has led to researchers coming up with a large volume of literature. Decision in healthcare has then turned out very complex. It requires a systematic search and analysis of every article and document by caregivers to get the appropriate evidence-based information. The use of a systematic review in managing large volumes of research evidence involves the process of documenting the methods before starting any search to identify different studies under the ...

Abstract

The doctor friendly global company is a mobile health care service provider that seeks to integrate medicine with cloud computing intelligent applications. It is important to have some strict measures in place that help prevent the occurrence of disease and measures that can detect the advent of symptoms whether mild or those that need immediate medical attention. The doctor friendly global company is based in Taipei, Taiwan with the main focus being distant medical and health services it is for this reason that the company was formed. They have heavily invested time and resources into the research and development ...

- Introduction As a profession, nursing existed since the early years of civilization. Although nursing in the early days was not sophisticated or complex as it is in the contemporary, various attempts were made to improve on care given to the patients (Parker, 2010). In fact, nursing as a field has its roots in the early attempts by human kind to provide care to the sick and the weak. It was through progressive modifications, adjustments and improvements that nursing or caring evolved into a large field with its roots deeply grounded in various concepts. Nursing concepts since the inception of care ...

How we view ourselves as male or female

Human beings have always viewed themselves as male or female through an individual’s genitalia and their reproductive organs. This is one way that has been used to describe humans for a long period. When the sex of a person is mentioned, the physical features are the main items that are checked to ensure the sexuality of the individual in the case. People therefore; think of their sexuality by linking it to their physical appearance and to their reproductive organs. This is taught from an early age and children can distinguish between males and females at such a young age. An example ...

Advancing age results in specific nutritional needs for older adults over 65 years old. It is estimated that 80% of persons in this age group have at least one chronic illness such as diabetes and cardiovascular dysfunction, which require diet modification or lead to alterations in taste and the normal process of digestion as well as nutrient absorption (AND, 2012). In addition, forms of physiologic deterioration in the course of aging are also additional factors that affect nutrition. These include a decline in mental capacity, difficulties masticating and swallowing, musculoskeletal problems that limit mobility and independence, reduction in bone and ...

<Student Name> <Name and Section # of course> <Instructor Name> Often times we associate chronic illness with old age and elderly people. Childhood is a time of beautiful memories, vibrancy, choices, determination and not having a care in the world. But this type of memorable childhood is not the dream of the children with some chronic illness. Their goals are simple and short term. They pray to God to reduce their pain, they pray to see the next Independence Day, they pray for their therapies to work, and they pray that they do not die today. ...

1.0 Introduction Hemophilia A (HA) is an inherited X-linked bleeding disorder that results from a wide range of mutations in the factor VIII (FVIII) gene which leads to the absence or quantitative and/or qualitative deficiency of the said blood clotting factor ( (Jacquemin, et al., 2000; Guillet, et al., 2006; Venceslá, et al., 2008). FVIII gene is one of the most extensively investigated of all human genes and these extensive studies have led to the identification of a wide range of different types of mutations responsible for HA. Some of the mutation types identified include point mutations (resulting in missense, nonsense ...

The best response the registered nurse can say is statement 3. “I know that this is difficult time for you. Let’s take this day by day and make your child’s routine as normal as possible.” Communication is vital when dealing with families that are dealing with chronic illness among the family members. According to Rosland, Heisler, and Piette (221), the outcome of chronic illness in a family member highly depends on the social support provided by the family. Thus, the family will need the support of nurses to cope with such a situation. One critical issue to consider ...

(Professional/nursing care plan)

Introduction

- A brief introduction to setting and the chronic health condition

Critical application of a chronic disease model of care used to inform self-management.

Articulation of short and long term goals. Identification and critical examination of specific strategies/interventions to support self-management. Identification of the tasks/actions necessary to complete each strategy, as well as who will Conclusion - Examination of the effectiveness of the self-management plan (i.e. how the achievement of goals will be evaluated)

Abstract

This report contains a self-management care plan for a diabetic patient with an associating chronic condition. A brief introduction to the setting and chronic health condition will be outlined. Critical application of the ...

In Australia, cases of mental illness especially in children are very high. The most common type of mental illness among the young children is Cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition that mainly affects the movement of a person. Statistically, a child is born with Cerebral palsy every 18 hours in Australia. This implies that the number of people with the illness in the country is relatively high (Simmonds & Stevermuer 2007, p. 41). However, the fact that a child is born with Cerebral palsy does not mean that they will definitely die. Some health care steps are instituted to see to ...

Introduction

A healthcare professional’s unique role is shaped by the healthcare system. This system consists of leadership and governance, information systems, health financing, human resources, and service delivery among others (WHO 2010). Understanding one’s professional role is part of transitioning and is, in part, achieved by acquaintance with the health care system. Such knowledge places one in a position to fulfil the tasks and responsibilities attached to the role, as well as successfully confront issues and challenges. Moreover, familiarity permits one to explore the bounds of the profession and see how to fill the gaps in service delivery by ...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. It is characterized by a triad of inflammation, demyelination, and gliosis; the course can be relapsing and remitting or can be progressive. Some nerves found in our body are encased by myelin. These nerves have faster conduction speeds then would be found in unmyelinated nerves. Segmental demyelination of the nerve as caused by multiple sclerosis has been shown to be due to an autoimmune reaction, with auto-reactive T lymphocytes, B-cell activation, and the release of cytokines (Harrison’s, 2008, pg.-2612). The axonal damage leads to a progressive and irreversible ...

[Supervisor]

Abstract

The main reason behind the increase in the median age of the global population is a reduction in fertility and two decade increase in the average life span in the 20th century. These factors together with increased fertility in several nations throughout the 20 years post World War II will lead to elevated number of citizens aged >= 65 years throughout 2010 to 2030. The rising number of older adults results in an increase in demands on the public health system as well as on the social and medical services. One of the diseases affecting older adults is chronic disease ...

Discuss the impact of chronic medical conditions on adolescents (12-18 years) and identify ways of promoting resilience or positive development.

Introduction Many adolescents live out their daily life suffering from a chronic illness. This can be both physical and mental. Chronic illness can become an emotional burden on an adolescent’s life, which can lead to negative impacts on an individual’s psychosocial and cognitive development before they reach early adulthood. An adolescent is a person from the age of 12-18 years old. Chronic illnesses within an individual between 12-18 years old can have negative impact on the psychosocial wellbeing. This paper will analyze the social, psychological, psychosocial, and cognitive growth influences of chronic illness in adolescents. Adolescents who ...

Abstract

Home Health Nursing has been a dedicated profession since the introduction of visiting health nursing profession in 1916. The practice has been widely appreciated; particularly in treating those patients who suffer with some chronic ailment and prefer their medical aid to be taken at their homes. Home health nurses visit their homes and meet their needs, as required and desired by them to soothe themselves. The profession is now supported with proper guidance teams which include physicians, social workers and technicians, and thus there is a good scope of home health nursing in the coming future too.

Meeting the Needs of Chronically Ill by Home Health Nurses

Nursing has been a dedicated ...

Abstract

Cities have always produced the two extreme walks of life in society. Due to their large heterogeneous composition when it comes to population, they highlight the core social problems that exist in a society. As economic, cultural and political hubs, they attract numerous people seeking opportunities to enable them earn a living no wonder the heterogeneous population composition. Social problems mushroom when interdependence of a city and its environs fails for instance when the agricultural resources can no longer sustain the urban population, or when a city starts parasitically feeding on its environment due to heavy taxation of dwellers, high population and loss ...

Care of the person with heart failure

Introduction A condition in the heart does not satisfy the needs of the body while pumping blood is heart failure. Doctors say that in some cases the heart does not fill with sufficient blood. To some patients with heart failure, heart is not able to pump blood to the rest of the body with enough force to run through the veins and arteries. Some people have both problems and when it comes to that point, they call for serious medication and attention. It is therefore necessary to mention that the term heart failure does not mean that the ...

Introduction

As a result of better healthcare, people worldwide are actually living longer especially in the developing world. Thus, for the first time in history, people aged over 65years are more than infants aged less than five years. In fact, it is estimated that by the year 2030 (approximately two decades from now), the population of the aged in the human society globally would have hit the one billion figure. This figure represents an eighth of the current global population. More so the increase will be higher in the developing world whereby it is expected that by the year 2030, the ...

The U.S government sponsors a national health insurance program managed by the social security administration. This national health program is referred to as Medicare. The Medicare is generally available to all U.S citizens aged sixty five years and above and the young disabled persons. Since Mrs. Zwick has Medicare part A she will therefore get service benefits on the cost of her stay in the inpatient hospital, the skilled care nursing home and the rehabilitative services she received from the skilled nursing home. She will also get benefits on the cost of pain relief and symptom management during her stay ...

Cystic fibrosis

Introduction

Cystic fibrosis is a chronic illness that affects children. This medical disorder is also known as Mucoviscidosis and it is an inherited disorder, which is autosomal and recessive in nature. It affects two major systems (respiratory and digestive systems) in the children. Recent evidence has shown that disorders affecting the lungs are one of the highest causes of increase morbidity and mortality rates in the children (Pizzignacco & Lima, 2006). Associated complications are the major issues in cystic fibrosis. Technology and advancement in health care system has helped in reducing the associated mortality and morbidity because the disorder can now ...