7) Chronic Illness Flashcards
What is the focus of a sociological approach to chronic illness?
Impact on social interaction and role performance
How people manage and negotiate the illness in everyday life
What is the work of chronic illness?
Everyday interactional work people have to do
What does illness work involve?
Diagnosis - period of uncertainty
Managing symptoms
Self management
What is an expert patient programme?
Where a patient with a LTC helps another
What are the advantages of an expert patient programme?
Coping and condition management skills
Aims to reduce hospital admissions
Patient centred
What are the disadvantages of an expert patient programme?
Responsibility for care placed on (ill) patients
Do they have a real understanding?
Lack of evidence of efficiency saving
What does everyday life work involve?
Coping, management strategy and normalisation
What is normalisation?
Try to keep pre-illness lifestyle e.g. disguising symptoms
Redesignate your new life as ‘normal life’
What does emotional work involve?
Work that people do to protect emotional well being of others e.g. I’m ok, don’t worry about me
What is biographical work?
Former self image lost - struggle to lead valued lives and maintain positive definitions of self
What is identity work?
Condition affects how people see themselves and how others see them
Illness defines identity
What is stigma?
Negatively defined condition, attribute, trait or behaviour conferring deviant status
What is discreditable stigma?
Give an example
Nothing seen but if people found out, would view you differently e.g. mental illness, HIV
What is discredited stigma?
Give an example
Physically visible characteristics which sets them apart e.g. physical disability
What condition can have both discreditable and discredited stigma?
Epilepsy
