Daily life experiences for the chronically ill

Considerable research has been conducted on the pathologic consequences of chronicity, while little attention has been paid to the impact of chronicity on the individual's everyday life experiences. Technologic influences on chronicity have resulted in increasing longevity, with resulting decreases in mortality and morbidity. As mortality and morbidity in chronicity have decreased, an emphasis has emerged on health promotion and maintenance for the chronically ill. Today, with improvements in treatment (eg, improved medical and surgical technologies), individuals with severe chronic conditions are living longer, and care is now focusing not only on secondary and tertiary levels of prevention, but also on primary levels of prevention. Thus, while American society has geared itself to an almost unlimited support of research and development in increasing medical technology, there has been a significant lag in understanding the functional consequences of chronicity. This article describes chronicity in everyday life experiences over the life span, from childhood to adulthood to older adulthood. This review provides a base for community health practitioners and researchers to develop individualized interventions sensitive to life course variables for the chronically ill and their families

Everyday life · Life span · Longevity · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Promotion (chess · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Chronic Disease Management Strategies · Diabetes Management and Education · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Psychology · Gerontology