Chronic Illnesses in the United States - Essay Example

Chronic Illnesses in the United s and Number Due Chronic Illnesses in the United s Introduction Chronic diseases have become one the biggest problems in the United States healthcare system, with recent trends sparking worries about the future. It is also gradually becoming one of the biggest parts of the US healthcare expenditure (Duncan, 2012). Quite unfortunately, populations with chronic diseases across the country have been on the rise over the past one decade, further raising questions not only about the capability of the healthcare system to manage these diseases but also generating worried on the future if it all (Pham, 2011). However, some analysts continue to argue that the chronic illnesses rates have fallen while others appear to believe that the rates have fluctuated over the years. With the fact that this is a serious problem in mind, it is important to take a critical look at some of the specific trend details, with particular attention to demographics and the state-by-state basis. This owes to the fact that different demographics is affected differently and states have diverse localized approaches to dealing with t problem, such as community health programs. Another important element to address includes the interventions that have been put in place in dealing with the problem as well as ways in which national and local policy impacts health care of individuals with chronic illness. This paper seeks to illuminate, among others necessary, the aforementioned issues and concepts. Definition of Chorionic Illnesses The basic definition of a chronic illness is one that cannot be cured, but can be treated. There is a wide range of them, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and different mental health problems among many others. One would add that there are various ways in which chronic illnesses can be prevented because they are preventable. Apart from prevention, they can be managed effectively using frequent exercise, improvements in diet, therapy, and early detection (Chang & Johnson, 2014). Chronic illnesses occur throughout one’s life cycle, aggravating in old age. Chronic Illness Trends in the United States It has been noted that, over the last one decade, chronic diseases have replaced infectious diseases to become the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. In addition, their prevalence has been on the rise. In a report that was presented in 2011, based on a primary research study, it was noted that chronic illnesses have not only increased among older adults but has also led to an increase in disability and impairment cases (Hung et al, 2011). This study established that chronic diseases are increasingly affecting adults between the age of 65 and 69, a trend that has been ascribed to reduced utilization of healthcare and increasing costs. This age demographic has a population that has been associated with a huge increase over the past few years, which is why reports indicated that it is the most affected by chronic disease. In a study that selected and carried research on nine of the most common and fatal chronic diseases, it was found that, between 2009 and 2010, the number of cases with chronic diseases increased for the ages between 45 and 65, which was true for both men and women. This study was also considerate of all racial and ethnic groups. The study also found that, between 2000 and 2010, the percentage population of people suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes increased from 9 percent to 15 percent (Freid, Bernstein, & Bush, 2012). In addition, the prevalence of heart disease as well as high blood pressure increased from 18 percent to 21 percent for the age group. The cases of cancer also increased from 8 percent to 11 percent. Early detection of these diseases also came up as an important factor in this study. The study also found that the percentage population of those suffering from two or more of chronic conditions studied, whose care was either denied for cost purposes or was delayed, increased from 17 t0 23 percent while those who did not have access to proper prescription increased from 14 to 22 percent (Freid, Bernstein, & Bush, 2012). This study, which was conducted in 2012, raises a number of issues. First, it demonstrates clear evidence that the prevalence of chronic diseases is on the rise across the United States. Secondly, the problem is worse for older adults, both men and women. Thirdly, there are millions of people who do not have access to the necessary care, meaning that they have delayed diagnosis or none at all. Finally, the healthcare system has failed to provide adequate drugs for persons suffering from chronic diseases. As at 2013, it was reported that about 45 percent of people in the US live with chronic illnesses, with the most common being hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. This population stands few chances of seeing old age and continues to contribute ton increasing healthcare costs in the country. It is important to understand ways in which people with chronic diseases collect and use health information from both internet-based and offline sources, as has been studies by the Pew Research Center, with the support of the California Health Foundation. The studies bring us to demographics, which is an important element of this analysis. Research has found that chronic disease continue to affect people with lower education and lower incomes more than it does the rest of the population (Fox & Duggan, 2013). These populations have also been known to have low access to information on the internet or otherwise. It is worrying that, with the 65 years age group, which has the least access to information (based on their low propensity to use the internet) are the most affected, with 75 percent of them living with a chronic disease. This brings out a clear relationship between information access (of lack thereof) and the prevalence of chronic diseases, not to mention impacts across diverse demographics. As it emerges from the research project mentioned before, some of the statistics regarding the prevalence of these illnesses have been presented. The study found that, in 2013, reported cases of high blood pressure across the country came to about 25 percent while asthma and emphysema among other chronic lung conditions affect about 13 percent of adults (Fox & Duggan, 2013). Prevalence of diabetes across all demographics has been reported to be up to 11 percent while that of heart disease or heart failure have been said to constitute 7 percent of the total population. Cancer cases are up to 3 percent while other chronic conditions not mentioned here are up to 16 percent. The state of New Jersey comes up as an interesting case study in this paper, owing to the fact that the author of this paper comes from the state. It would be important to analyze the status of prevalence of some of the most common diseases, continued to the statistics presented earlier. First to mention is the fact that New Jersey is ranked 8 in the United States with regard to healthcare status. Having mentioned that, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) reports that diabetes prevalence in the state is up to 9 percent of the adult population, compared to 11 percent national prevalence, while asthma claims an 8.7 percentage, compared to the 13 percent national status (SEIU, 2015). The Impacts of Chronic Diseases of Patients, Family, and Community Chronic illnesses have been associated with various impacts on patients, family, and the community at large. Starting with the perspective of the patient, it is important to mention that chronic illnesses quite obviously deteriorate the quality of life of the patient. Of more importance to discuss, however, is the specific ways in which they reduce the quality of life. One of the ways in which chronic diseases affect patients involves disability. Research has established that heart disease has become the prevalent cause of disability in the United States. Diabetes has also been associated with a relationship with disability, with reported cases of eyesight being reported in the last one decade not only in but also out of the United States. There are also social and emotional impacts that chronic illnesses have on the patients. It is a common understanding everyone has his or her own aspirations in life as well as desired lifestyles. With a chronic illness, a patient would have to adjust his or her lifestyle and change his aspirations because he or she lacks the emotional and physical capability to engage in a process of the accomplishment of goals that one would have had were it not for the disease. They are physically and mentally limited by the illnesses. This results in a worsened emotional status because it is apparent to the patient that the problem cannot be resolved in the sense that the disease cannot be cured; only managed. This emotional dimension may further result in other aggravated conditions, such as mental illnesses, with depression being one of the most common. What some researchers have referred to as social participation becomes difficult for people living with chronic diseases (Hirschberg, 2012). Not much of a role can be played by a person suffering frock a chronic disease in helping, for instance, in community development, which has effects on the community, more details of which will be discussed later in this section. Chronic diseases also have diverse impacts on families. First, every family member seeks to be of help to the rest of the family and owns a sense of responsibility, which is obviously limited by the chronic illness. As such, the family receives little help from the patient. In addition, it is possible, depending on the severity of the disease, that the patient becomes a burden to the family, which means that certain members of the family have to constantly attend to the patient. This is detrimental to the quality of life of the family members (Golics, Salek & Finlay , 2013). An interesting point of view that has been adopted in current literature is the relationship between chronic illnesses and its impacts on the spouse. It has been established that a chronic condition in a patient has extremely serious impacts on the quality life of a healthy spouse. The spouse has to adopt a responsibility to take care of the patient, not to mention that the patient increases his or her dependency on the partner. As such, the overall quality of life of both partners is decreased considerably. From a community point of view, it is imperative to know that each member of the community is expected to contribute to the improvement and growth of the community. With the reduced productivity of the productivity of patients, one would agree that this will have a detrimental impact on community development. It is also important to mention that state and federal agencies of government make efforts to deal with chronic disease problems at the community level, which means that resources that could have been directed to other projects are expended to programs meant to help people with chronic diseases, a role that the community cannot escape from (Rick et al, 2012). Communities also come up with programs to help these members of the community in an effort to improve their quality of life, which also makes it a significant burden to the entire community. Having understood the various impacts that chronic diseases have on the aforementioned three parties, it is important to comprehend ways in which the health status of clients with chronic illness can be improved, as done in the next section. Interventions for Improving the Health Status of Clients with Chronic Illness The relevance of improving the health status of people suffering from chronic illnesses cannot be overemphasized, owing to the detrimental impacts that have been established and discussed in the previous chapter. There are various interventions for improving the health status of clients with chronic illness that have continued to be used across the United States, and have been proved to be effective. One of the most effective interventions, which can also be a preventive measure, is reducing or eliminating exposure to harmful substances, such as cigarettes smoke. It is understood that smoking is one of the most negatively impactful causes of death in the US, yet the most preventable. As such, it would be important for the care givers of those patients suffering from chronic diseases to makes sure that the patients are kept out of any exposure to such substances. Physical activity is also one of the most positively impactful intervention measures. It has been established that more than 50 percent of Americans do not participate in physical activities, mostly those with chronic diseases (Menzin et al, 2011). The health of a person suffering from a chronic disease can be appreciably improved by physical exercise, which is done regularly and increased gradually as the patients acclimates to it. This is even more important for younger adults and children, which has been found to be a great source of help in the prevention of aggravated cases, such as those escalated into disability. In addition, improved nutrition can help improve the patient’s health status, preventing worsening conditions and improving the quality of life. These are some of the health promotion strategies that can be adopted. Another element of improving the health status of patients with chronic diseases is through the use of what is referred to as self-care. Patients can decide what to eat, whether or not to engage in physical activity, and even if/when they will take their drugs or medications. In this light, it is important to mention a fairly new concept, referred to as self-management support. It is a common understanding that these patients may not always make the best of decisions as regards their wellbeing. With this in mind, self-management involves giving patients as well as their families, tools and techniques that will help them make the best decisions as regards the improvement of their health status (Menzin et al, 2011). This involves patient educations, which should also factor in their families, and a collaborative approach to decision making. Another important aspect of interventions is the adherence to treatment recommendations. These tools and techniques, specifically education and collaborative decision making, can be used as strong tools to make sure that the patient makes the correct decisions and follows all recommendations provided by the care giver. Impacts of National Policy and Local Policy Affect Individuals with Chronic Diseases It is important to devise an integrated approach towards addressing the healthcare needs of individuals with chronic diseases. This can be carried out at both local and national levels, and can have diverse impacts on the healthcare of this group. Having mentioned that, it would be important to examine ways in which both national and local policy can affect their health. There are various factors that determine how national policy on the health of people with chronic diseases will be formulated and implemented, one of them being expenditure. As such, devising national policy can have various impacts on the health of these patients. For instance, the federal government has its set annual expenditure that is meant to go to the chronic disease budget. More often than not, the budget has constraints that limit both care giving and self-care, which amounts to the aggravated chronic disease trends that are currently being witnessed (Bell & Seidel, 2012). Having mentioned that, one would agree that this translates to rising rates and increasing impacts of the prevalent of chronic diseases. However, some positive impacts on the healthcare of the group can also be noted across states that ensure that they come up with local and state policy that supports individuals with chronic disease, thereby enhancing the quality of their lives, hence positive impacts on their healthcare. For instance, as has been mentioned above, New Jersey, as a state records rates of the prevalence of chronic diseases that are considerably lower than the national statistics that have been witnessed in the literature analyzed. In short, it is agreeable that the impacts of local policy are key determinants of the health status of the chronic disease patients within the locality. Conclusion Chronic disease, as one would note from this analysis, have become a big problem in the United States. They can be treated, but cannot be cured, which makes it an even bigger problem. However, their treatment and management, having observed the national and state trends in prevalence, can be improved because their impacts have also been understood. In this regard, it is important to understand some of the interventions that have been discussed in this paper and put them into practice. However, better national and local policy can be used to further improve the healthcare of these individuals. References Bell, E., & Seidel, B. (2012). Understanding and benchmarking health service achievement of policy goals for chronic disease. BMC Health Services Research 12, 343. Chang, E., & Johnson , A. (2014). Chronic Illness and Disability: Principles for Nursing Practice. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences. Duncan, I. (2012). Managing and Evaluating Healthcare Intervention Programs. Winsted, CT: ACTEX Publications. Fox, S., & Duggan, M. (2013, Nov 26). Part One: Who Lives with Chronic Conditions. Retrieved Jan 20, 2015, from Pew Research: http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/11/26/part-one-who-lives-with-chronic-conditions/ Freid, V. M., Bernstein, A., & Bush, M. (2012). Multiple Chronic Conditions Among Adults Aged 45 and Over: Trends Over the Past 10 Years. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Golics CJ, B., Salek , M., & Finlay , A. (2013). The impact of patients chronic disease on family quality of life: an experience from 26 specialties. International Journal of General Medicine Volume 6, 787—798 . Hirschberg, M. (2012). Living with Chronic Illness: an Investigation of its Impact on Social Participation. Department of Law Politics and Sociology, University of Sussex. 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