Compare and contrast the terms "disability" and "chronic illness." What are the similarities and differences? Can they coexist? Give reasoning for your evaluation.
Chronis illness is used to define the experiences that patients of chronic diseases and their families go through while dealing with illness and how their knowledge and viewpoints of disease and consequently how they behave towards the disease. Experiences of the family and patients are first-hand information that gives perceptions about the illness (Larsen, 2014). Disability refers to conditions that affect how a person acts, thinks or expresses themselves by restricting mental or physical activities. People are either born with disabilities or develop them as a result of injury or illness.
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Similarities between chronic diseases and disabilities are that the two are conditions that require special attention in management. However, disabilities differ from chronic illnesses in that they do not lead to death. People with disabilities can live for a lifetime with their disabilities and only need assistance, management and acceptance to navigate the disability. Chronic illnesses often result to death after pain and medical treatments. Disabilities and chronic illnesses can coexist where a disabled person also suffers a chronic disease that is unrelated to the disability. For example, a disabled person can have cancer. Disabilities are physical or mental abnormalities that a person may have throughout their lives and are incurable while chronic illnesses are extreme medical conditions that may develop in the body of a person and may be cured or regulated by medications eventually or cause death (Hinkle & Cheever, 2014).
Discuss two (2) legal and ethical challenges or implications for patients and families with disabilities or with chronic illnesses, trying to achieve comprehensive self-management.
Patient empowerment and appropriate preparation are the implications of families and patients with disabilities and chronic diseases. Patient empowerment focuses on helping the patient comprehend the illness or disability and learn how to cope with the disease as well as make informed decisions on their own. Appropriate preparation aims at making the patient aware of their condition, the medication, challenges they may face in the process of treatment of in their day to day activities due to the disease and ensure they are ready for the whole process (LeBlanc & Jacelon, 2013).
Identify and state two (2) actions the RN can implement to help the patient and family achieve comprehensive self-management with a disability or with a chronic illness
The RN can carry out needs assessments within families with disabled or chronically ill patients identify gaps in the extent of knowledge and the offer educational materials that will help with self-management. RN can also provide engage in collaborative treatment planning with the patients and families to offer suggestions and knowledge that will aid in choices made for the treatment (LeBlanc, & Jacelon, 2016).
References
Hinkle, J., & Cheever, K. (2014). Brunner and Suddarth's textbook of medical-surgical nursing (13th ed.) . Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health.
Larsen, D. P. (2014 ). Lubkin's Chronic Illness: Impact and Intervention . Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
LeBlanc, R., & Jacelon, C. (2016). Self-management. In P. Larsen (Ed.), Lubkin's chronic illness: Impact and intervention (9th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
