By Luke, Lacey, & Lauren

What is a Chronic Health Issue? Some examples are: Severe allergies Asthma Cerebral palsy Crohn’s disease Diabetes Epilepsy Muscular dystrophy Spina bifida cancer Chronic Health issues are long-lasting health conditions. The word “chronic” comes from the Greek word for chronos meaning time. A chronic disease is one lasting 3 months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Chronic diseases generally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear

Cystic Fibrosis Is a chronic, progressive and frequently fatal genetic disease of the bodies mucus glands Is the most common life-shortening genetic disease in Caucasian populations Primarily affects the respiratory and digestive systems in children and young adults The natural history of CF is progressive loss of lung function that leads to death, however with early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention survival into the third and fourth decades is now common

Background History First discovered in 1938 Nearly all children with CF died in the first six months of birth By 1950, survival age reached 5 years of age 1966 median life expectancy was 11 years 1992 life expectancy reached 29 years Now many patients in their 20’s and 30’s have excellent lung functioning

Emotional Impact Worry about the future Fear of the unknown Anger that this has happened to them Resentment for the time and attention that the CF child requires Guilt for having this serious disease Concern for their well being

Characteristics Persistent bowel problems Reoccurring pneumonia Chronic coughing or wheezing with thick mucus Excessive amount of salt when sweating Poor growth Inflammation of the nasal sinuses

Things you should be aware of Social impact of the illness Difficulty concentrating and paying attention due to discomfort Side effects of medication Impact of the condition itself Nervousness about missing school and making school work up, which then increases their stress and anxiety level They need to break the cycle of stress and anxiety, which is made worse by missing school

Invisible Adaptations Activities that include group or peer social interactions Have students inform the student on what they have been up to in the classroom (write letters) Story books that relate to empathy and compassion Honour non-invisible adaptation (i.e. skype) Vigorous physical activity ASSESSMENT – educational planning should be based only the skills listed in the childs IEP Should be repeated regularly and frequently throughout the year Repeated assessments should be used as the basis for education decision making

Support Systems Available to Students (Nanaimo District) Hospital/Homebound Program Provides teachers to support and instruct students who are temporarily unable to attend school for medical or non-medical reasons Hospital/homebound teacher consults with the home school regarding the students educational needs See our links page to find resources you can use in your classroom

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