DAILY-LIFE EXPERIENCES FOR THE CHRONICALLY ILL - A LIFE-SPAN PERSPECTIVE

Considerable research has been conducted on the pathologic consequence s 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 morbi dity in chronicity have decreased, an emphasis has emerged on health p romotion and maintenance for the chronically ill. Today, with improvem ents in treatment (eg, improved medical and surgical technologies), in dividuals with severe chronic conditions are living longer, and care i s now focusing not only on secondary and tertiary levels of prevention , but also on primary levels of prevention. Thus, while American socie ty has geared itself to an almost unlimited support of research and de velopment in increasing medical technology, there has been a significa nt lag in understanding the functional consequences of chronicity. Thi s article describes chronicity in everyday life experiences over the l ife 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 variable s for the chronically ill and their families.