Chronic Illness Experience

Question 1

______ ____ refers to a condition which is long term

Answer 1

Chronic illness

Question 2

List a few examples of chronic diseases that could last a life time

Answer 2

Diabetes
Multiple sclerosis
End stage kidney disease

Question 3

Chronic illnesses are long term, how does this have an impact on a patients life

Answer 3

Physical and social restrictions
Treatments

Question 4

What do we consider a contemporary phenomenon

Answer 4

Chronic illness

Question 5

Chronic illness is found to be _____ amongst many age groups

Answer 5

Prevalent

Question 6

Abnormalities in the functioning body is known as

Answer 6

Impairment

Question 7

Give an example of impairment

Answer 7

Diabetes
Multiple sclerosis
Heart disease
- any medical condition/malfunction

Question 8

What is a disability

Answer 8

Inability to perform and activity in a “normal” manner for a human being

Question 9

Give an example of a disability

Answer 9

Needing support when walking
Intellectual disabilities like down syndrome

Question 10

What is handicap?

Answer 10

A social disadvantage which results from the inability to fulfil a role that is normal. It’s a circumstance one may have that makes progress and success difficult. Unable to accomplish something one may want, that most others could accomplish.

Question 11

Example of handicap

Answer 11

Disadvantage due to inability to have full time employment

Question 12

Chronic illness means a patient is most likely going to be at a ___ and be ___

Answer 12

Disadvantage / deprived

Question 13

Disadvantages and deprivation of chronic illness

Answer 13

Difficulties managing symptoms
Difficulties managing treatment (meds, diet, lifestyle changes)
Adjusting to their new life/realities
Psychological distress and dependence
The change in lifestyle and social isolation

Question 14

A 22-year-old man had an accident and had a spinal cord injury. He cannot walk properly and he has to use a wheel-chair when he has to go out. Due to his experience he has difficulties to find a job and attain higher education abroad.

Where can you see impairment, disability and handicapped in the following example?

Answer 14

Impairment: spinal cord injury leading to malfunction in legs
Disability: cannot walk properly, must use wheel-chair.
Handicap: he is disadvantaged due to his circumstance and therefore, can’t find a job or attain higher education because he is handicapped

Question 15

IMP: PSYCHOSOCIAL (SOCIAL LIFE)

What 3 consequences due to psychosocial changes for chronic patients?

Answer 15

Uncertainty
Family relations
Biographical disruption

Question 16

Uncertainty is one of the consequences/psychosocial changes of chronic illness and has 3 forms, what are they?

Answer 16

uncertainty about the cause (why me, why now)
uncertainty about functionality (will be able to do things now)
Uncertainty related to feelings about prognosis/medical condition (what’s gonna happen to me)

Question 17

When are feelings of uncertainty stronger

Answer 17

When a patient has more social obligations to fill

Question 18

Family relations undergo psychosocial changes due to chronic illness and has 4 forms, what are they?

Answer 18

Reallocation of tasks (house work/ work work where the healthy partner has to compensate for the loss of work hours and salary)
Chronic patients may feel they are a burden to their families (a patient with end stage kidney disease feels like a burden and refuses any assistance)
Chronic patients may withdraw from family life (pay not participate in family gatherings)
Marital breakdown is common (the healthy space breaks up with patient or vice versa)

Question 19

Biological disruption is one of the consequences/psychosocial changes due to chronic illness and has 2 forms, what are they?

Answer 19

Patients daily life is disrupted (patient with cancer has to withdraw from daily activities in order to undergo chemo or because they feel like shit from chemo)

Patients’ may lose what’s they understand as the most important contexts of life (career, family). This could cause them chronic stress leading to other health problems

Question 20

A patient has a new disability and its making him lose what important to him within his life, he is finding no purpose. The patient now has cardiovascular disease as well. This is due to

Answer 20

CHRONIC STRESS from finding no meaning to his life anymore

Question 21

When managing chronic illnesses, resources are significant especially to support independent living (living alone)

Answer 21

Health care
Proper housing
Shopping services
Psychological support (therapy)
Social networks (friends/ relationships)

Question 22

The Alcott parsons principle is

Answer 22

To achieve stability, doctors and patients have to adopt a specific role

Question 23

Use their knowledge
Treat patients
Fair treatment
This is the

Answer 23

Doctors role

Question 24

What is a patients social roles

Answer 24

Nobody blames them
They are excused from social activities
Expected to seek help
Expected to return to social activities

Question 25

The sick role can be applicable for

Answer 25

Acute and chronic conditions

Question 26

In acute conditions

Answer 26

Patients adopt sick role and get well

Question 27

In chronic conditions

Answer 27

Patients adopt the sick role and improve they’re condition/quality of life

Question 28

The purpose of the sick role is to

Answer 28

Return to normal social roles= to achieve social stability

Question 29

The sick role is faulty because

Answer 29

Patients may get well quickly and never enter the sick role from the start (infection or flue which may not require medical attention) Patients may have lethal disease not allowing them to have the sick role because they finish it (incurable cancer, severe brain injury. This may even mean patients have entered the sick role but can’t complete it because they can’t get better ‘Patients might not be legitimate to adopt the sick role (HIV/ AIDS, society doesn’t care abt these patients entering sick role and improving their condition then returning to their social roles to to stigmatization ands social exclusion against these types of patients)

Question 30

Biographical disruption has two types

Answer 30

- disruption of what patients take for granted (daily routine) - disruption of patients biography (family, education, career)

Question 31

True or false: different chronic conditions elicit different experiences

Answer 31

True

Question 32

More social obligations could make the impact of the condition greater, give an example between younger vs older patient

Answer 32

younger vs older patients with end-stage kidney disease (same disease).Younger patients express stronger negative attitudes because they have not fulfilled as many personal goals so they have more to get done and have more social obligations.

Question 33

Patients respond to disruption/ their lowest point through

Answer 33

Negotiation

Question 34

Negotiation refers to patients renegotiating with their new ill self meaning

Answer 34

They are looking for ways to feel better, negotiation is understanding themselves again

Question 35

3 ways patients negotiate with themselves to try to feel better respond to disruption?

Answer 35

Coping: cognitive process, to compare ones self with other patients who have it worse Strategy: action taken by patient, start new hobbies and to participate in patient groups basically keeping themselves distracted Style: the way patients deal with their condition (using humour, or take full control of the condition)

Question 36

Andreas Andreou is 34 years old and suffers from multiple sclerosis, he is married with 3 children and he works at a constructions company. Though nobody blamed him for what happened, he was depressed when he was first diagnosed. At the beginning, he had difficulties to walk the stairs, and later he could not work full time. He had to change his daily life and felt as he was losing his family, his work etc. His wife had to work more. He has been describing himself as “half human". He feels the social expectations of having his condition improved and returning to his normal social roles. What social aspects can u identify

Question 37

Andreas Andreou is 34 years old and suffers from multiple sclerosis, he is married with 3 children and he works at a constructions company. Though nobody blamed him for what happened, he was depressed when he was first diagnosed. At the beginning, he had difficulties to walk the stairs, and later he could not work full time. He had to change his daily life and felt as he was losing his family, his work etc. His wife had to work more. He has been describing himself as “half human". He feels the social expectations of having his condition improved and returning to his normal social roles. What does Andreas mean by half human?

Answer 37

- he can’t fulfill his goals as he would normally, feels inadequate.

Question 38

CASE CONTINUES… Though Andreas feels he is "half-human", he sometimes feels better. He managed to return to his full-time duties. He compares himself with other patients who cannot work and he participates in patient groups to help other patients. Andreas also says that he has full control of his condition now like he controls and duties and responsibilities at work. What made Andreas feel better

Answer 38

Compares himself- coping He made a change in mindset, went back to work -strategy feels like he has control over his condition (style)- form of negotiation

Question 39

CASE CONTINUES… Though Andreas feels he is "half-human", he sometimes feels better. He managed to return to his full-time duties. He compares himself with other patients who cannot work and he participates in patient groups to help other patients. Andreas also says that he has full control of his condition now like he controls and duties and responsibilities at work. What mechanisms is he activating?

Question 40

What psychosocial changes has Andreas experienced

Answer 40

Impairment (the disease itself) Handicap (lost his job) Degenerative chronic condition Disability His lifestyle has changed Family tasks have been reallocated

Question 41

Has Andreas entered the sick role

Answer 41

Nobody blames him Felt the social expectations Sought for help Returned to social activities So he got sick, felt guilt, got help, got better = yes he entered the sick role

Question 42

Has he experiences biographical disruption?

Answer 42

- daily routine changes (disruption of what he took for granted) CHECK - lost his identity, he was afraid of losing his family and his career: “half human” (disruption of patients biography) CHECK - Physically: he felt weak - taken for granted - socially: he found difficulty in fulfilling social obligations -taken for granted Yes he has.

Question 43

Though Andreas feels he is "half-human", he sometimes feels better. He managed to return to his full-time duties. He compares himself with other patients who cannot work and he participates in patient groups to help other patients. Andreas also says that he has full control of his condition now like he controls and duties and responsibilities at work. What types of negotiation has Andreas activated?

Answer 43

He compared himself with other patients (coping) He participates in patient groups (strategy) He is the “manager” of his disease (style) So all 3 types

Question 44

Summarize

Answer 44

Chronic illness leads to psychosocial changes Patient adopts the sick role Patients’ biography is disrupted Patients negotiate with their new self band cab respond positively

Question 45

George Charilaou was diagnosed with end-stage kidney and he is currently under hemodialysis. He is very anxious because he feels that he is not as productive at work as before. He feels that he cannot support his family as before. Based on Michael Bury's sociological theory of chronic illness, what kind of disruption best describes this patient's experience? a. Disruption of his biography b. Disruption of his bodily integrity C. Disruption of his independence d. Disruption of his daily routine e. Disruption of his quality of life

Answer 45

A) because it has to do with family and work life. disruption of what he takes for granted is the only other one and daily routine being affected falls under that