Patients with Life-Altering Illnesses Essay -- Nursing, Health Care

Communicating with someone who has a life-altering illness is non an easy task. A person needs to have compassion, patience, and listening skills. I have seen firsthand how a caring healthc be provider and having an spatial relation of optimism locoweed prolong a persons life. Illness can be characterized as acute, chronic, and life-altering (Tamparo). Acute is when a patient experiences severe symptoms for a short amount of time. Acute illnesses atomic number 18 not life-altering unless they are not treated. If left untreated, it may then lead into a chronic illness. A chronic illness is when the symptoms go on for a long accomplishment of time. Some examples are arthritis, multiple sclerosis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary complaint. inveterate illnesses may then progress to a life-threatening illness. Some examples are HIV/AIDS, cancer, heart disease and diabetes. This stage is when death is inevitable. More than xlv percent of Americans are living with a chronic illness which affects their casual activities (Consortium).It not only affects the patient but family members as well. A a couple of(prenominal) of the healthcare problems that are common with a life-altering illness are stress, affirm issues with the healthcare system and family, depression, and end of life decision making. Having a wide support system is so important to these patients so, keeping the communication escaped between the physician and patient will help tremendously. It will relieve some of the frustration that accompanies the illness.Some of the biggest obstacles patients with a life-altering illness deal with are (1) The stigma of the disease (2) Lack of adequate family support (3) The impact of the disease on themselves and their family (4) Lack of adequate resources (Rober... ...ongress Briefed on the Self direction of inveterate Illness. (2011) 1-5. Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA). 2011. Web. 17 June 2011.Farber, MD, Neil J., Susa n Y. Urban, MD, Virginia U. Collier, MD, Joan Weiner, PHD, Ronald G. Polite, Elizabeth B. Davis, PHD, and E. Gill Boyer The Good intelligence operation About Giving Bad News to Patients. Dec. 2002. Groopman, Jerome E. The Anatomy of Hope How tribe Prevail in the Face of Illness. New York Random House, 2004. Print. Kowalczyk, Liz, ed. Learning the Patients View. 20 Mar. 2006. Web. 17 June 2011. Roberts, Cleora S., Cindy Severinsen, Chuck Kuehn, Drew Straker, and C. Joy Fritz. Obstacles to Effective Case Management with AIDS Patients The Clinicians Perspective. Web. 17 June 2011.Tamparo, C., and W. Lindh. Therapeutic Communication for Healthcare. Clifton Park Delmar Cenage Learning, 2007. Print.