Living Well with Chronic Illness Chapter 21 Living Well with Chronic Illness Copyright © 2016 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

Persists regardless of treatment, is of long duration, and usually progresses slowly Chronic diseases are not always obvious and may not interfere with the person’s day-to-day life until late in the disease, but are nonetheless present and require ongoing treatment In the United States, the most common chronic diseases are hypertension, osteoarthritis, and heart disease 92% of older adults have at least one chronic disease and 77% have at least two Chronic Illness Copyright © 2016 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chronic Health Conditions Among the Population Age 65 and Over, by Sex, 2009-2010 Copyright © 2016 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

Many chronic diseases could be eliminated through preventative strategies, especially when started at a young age Major global lifestyle risk factors for the development of chronic disease (Box 21-1) Tobacco use Unhealthy diet Physical inactivity Alcohol abuse Chronic Illness Copyright © 2016 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

A Model for Chronic Illness The trajectory model aids health care providers to understand the realities of chronic illness and its effect on individuals Copyright © 2016 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

Associations between age and chronic disease and the development of frailty remains in question The formal diagnosis is made in the presence of at least three of the following: Unintentional weight loss Self-reported exhaustion Weak grip strength Slow walking speed and low activity Tips for assessing frailty (Box 21-3) Frailty Copyright © 2016 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

Frailty, Aging, and Chronic Disease It is expected by 2025 that 1.2 billion people will be considered frail, the majority living in developing countries Working with older adults who are either frail or living with chronic illness means that the gerontological nurse has the opportunity to decrease both morbidity and mortality of older adults (Box 21-4) Frailty, Aging, and Chronic Disease Copyright © 2016 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

One of the most common chronic conditions noted in the United States is: peripheral vascular disease. hypertension. heart failure. kidney failure. ANS:  B Question 1 Copyright © 2016 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

Question 2 Which of the following is a sign of frailty? Unintentional weight gain Hyperactivity Weak grip strength All of the above ANS: C Question 2 Copyright © 2016 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.