ESSAY: Locating Resources

Locate a minimum of three community or national resources for your illness group chosen in Week 1, preferably in your community. Study these resources and write a report about them in a 4- to 5-page Microsoft Word document. Include in your response all the information the patient should know about them (the specific services they offer, fee schedules, if and when appropriate, criteria for eligibility, and any other important information). Discuss potential advantages and disadvantages for vulnerable populations in seeking these resources.

Support your responses with examples.

ANSWER

Chronic Illness – Cancer

Chronic Illness of Interest

Cancer is a chronic disease that has adverse impacts on patients, their families, as well as the entire nation. The disease is considered the most severe after cardiovascular diseases because it causes many deaths in the world (Hesse et al., 2014). Based on statistics by National Cancer Institute, the incidence is 455 per 100,000 people annually, while the annual mortality rate is 172 per 100,000 people. Besides, cancer mortality is estimated to be lower in women than men, accounting for 145.4 per 100,000 women and 207.9 per 100,000 men. The disease also affects African-American men more than Asian/Pacific Islander women, accounting for 261.5 per 100,000 and 91.2 per 100,000 people respectively.

There are several deadliest forms of malignancy including breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, leukemia, skin cancer, colon cancer, and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In addition, risk factors and symptoms differ depending on the type. Cancer can be treated by several methods including radiation, synthetic lethality, targeted therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, and hormonal therapy (Hesse et al., 2014). However, the choice of the appropriate method depends on the location, the stage, and the general state of the patient.

Morbidity and Comorbidity of Cancer

The use of cardiotoxic cancer treatments as well as increasing aging population has led to increased incidence of patients with cancer and other related comorbidity (CVD).  Furthermore, patients are likely to get incident CVD because of the cardiotoxicity resulting from chemotherapy drugs (Sarfati, Koczwara & Jackson, 2016). Several CVDs relate with cancer treatments including myopericarditis, thrombosis, valvular heart disease, myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, electrocardiographic changes, arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure. 

Cancer has long-term consequences for quality of life and health. It is also more prevalent among the older population. Therefore, comorbidity is common among the old and cancer patients. Study and analysis of cancer patients aged 65 years or older in the United States by Medicare beneficiaries revealed that 4 out of 10 patients diagnosed with cancer have at least one other chronic disease (Sarfati et al., 2016). In addition, 15% of patient portrayed more than two CVD, with the most common including cardiovascular illness, chronic illnesses, mental health problems, obesity, metabolic illness, and musculoskeletal disorders (Schoormans, Pedersen, Dalton, Rottmann & van de Poll-Franse, 2016).

Healthy People 2020 Goals and Objectives Over the years, Healthy People 2020 has strived to reduce the incidence rate of cancer as well as disability, illness, and deaths resulting from cancer. This has been made possible by persistent improvement in cancer detection, research, and treatment, which have resulted in a decrease in both mortality and incidence rates for all types of cancer (Hesse et al., 2014). The objectives of Healthy People 2020 are to ensure that fifty percent…