Learning to live with a chronic disease is a lifelong endeavor. Literature concerning learning, identity, and education as it relates to chronic illness are reviewed.  Session participants will discuss best practices regarding learning and health education for the chronically ill

Baumgartner, Lisa M.

Preissner, Katharine

English

Kansas State University

Kansas State University Libraries New Prairie Press Adult Education Research Conference 2015 Conference Proceedings (Manhattan, KS) Living and Learning with Chronic Disease: Toward Better Methods of Education Lisa M. Baumgartner Texas A&M University Katharine Preissner University of Illinois at Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://newprairiepress.org/aerc  Part of the Adult and Continuing Education Administration Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License Recommended Citation Baumgartner, Lisa M. and Preissner, Katharine (2015). "Living and Learning with Chronic Disease: Toward Better Methods of Education," Adult Education Research Conference. https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2015/roundtables/2 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in Adult Education Research Conference by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information, please contact cads@k-state.edu. Living and Learning with Chronic Disease: Toward Better Methods of Education  Lisa M. Baumgartner  Texas A&M University and Katharine Preissner University of Illinois at Chicago  Keywords: chronic disease, learning, education, identity  Abstract: Learning to live with a chronic disease is a lifelong endeavor. Literature concerning learning, identity, and education as it relates to chronic illness are reviewed.  Session participants will discuss best practices regarding learning and health education for the chronically ill.   Chronic diseases affect nearly half of the non-institutionalized civilian population of the United States and 25% of the population has more than one chronic condition (Ward, Shiller & Goodman, 2014).  Roughly 48% of all deaths in the US can be attributed to cancer or cardiovascular disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). A chronic disease is a disease that cannot be cured that lasts more than three months such as diabetes (MedicineNet.com, 2014).     Learning to live with a chronic illness is a lifetime endeavor. Often, individuals with chronic disease experience psychological and physical changes as they learn to live with their disease(s).  Individuals have addressed the types of learning regarding chronic illness including self-directed learning (Rager, 2004) and transformative learning (Merriam, Courtenay & Reeves, 2000), Likewise, concerns regarding chronic illness and identity issues have been addressed (e.g. Thornhill, Lyons, Nouwen & Lip, 2008) as well as the effect of race on living with chronic illness (e.g.Rao, Pryor, Gaddist & Mayer, 2008).  Like learning and identity development, learning and education are similarly intertwined. Peer or professionally-led support/education groups are a topic of interest. Researchers have discussed the effectiveness of chronic disease self-management programs (e.g. Lorig, Ritter & Pifer, 2014). In a literature review of individuals living with cancer, self-management groups decreased “symptom distress, uncertainty” and positively affected “communication” and quality of life (McCorkle, et al., 2011, p. 56). Group-based patient education groups improve individuals’ coping skills (Håkanson, et al., 2011), self-efficacy (Farrell, Wicks & Martin, 2004), and improve health (Chodosh et. al, 2005). Yet, income, education and racial minority status often affects access to correct health information (Kim, Moran, Wilkin & Ball-Rokeach, 2011). In in many studies concerning health education, group participants did not appear to have input regarding program content, raising the question about the importance of stakeholders’ voices in program planning (Cervero & Wilson, 1994).     Purpose of Roundtable The purpose of this roundtable is two-fold: (1) To briefly review literature concerning chronic illness as it relates to learning, identity, and education and (2) to brainstorm adult education methods or strategies that can be used to improve health education especially as it regards marginalized populations.   Roundtable Activities Roundtable attendees and the facilitators will be invited to provide examples of challenges they have faced regarding learning about and/or teaching about chronic diseases. It is hoped that this discussion will help those struggling with issues related to chronic illness learning and education as well as provide a forum for potential “best practices” regarding learning about and teaching about chronic diseases. Given the holistic nature of treating a chronic illness it is possible that issues of discussing how best to address aspects of individuals’ experiences such as spirituality, sexuality, and work in a group setting will also be topics of discussion.   References Cervero, R. M. & Wilson, A. L. (1994). Planning responsibly for adult education. : A guide to  negotiating power and interests. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.  Chodosh, J., Morton, S. C., Mojica, W., Maglione, M., Suttorp, M. J., Hilton, L, Rhodes, S., &  Shekell, P. (2005). Meta-analysis: Chronic disease self-management programs for older adults. Annals of Internal Medicine, 143(6), 427-438. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2014). Chronic disease prevention and health   promotion. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/ Farrell, K., Wicks, M. N., & Martin, J. C. (2004). Chronic disease self-management improved   with enhanced self-efficacy. Clinical Nursing Research, 13,289–308. Håkanson, C., Sahlberg-Blom, E., Ternestedt, B., & Nyhlin, H. (2011). Learning to live with  irritable bowel syndrome. The influence of a group-based patient education programme on peoples' ability to manage illness in everyday life. Scandinavian Journal Of Caring Sciences, 25(3), 491-498. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6712.2010.00855.x Kim, Y., Moran, M. B., Wilkin, H. A., & Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (2011). Integrated connection to  neighborhood storytelling network, education, and chronic disease knowledge among African Americans and Latinos in Los Angeles. Journal Of Health Communication, 16(4), 393-415. doi:10.1080/10810730.2010.546483 McCorkle, R., Ercolano, E., Lazenby, M., Schulman-Green, D., Schilling, L. S., Lorig, K., &  Wagner, E. H. (2011). Self-management: Enabling and empowering patients living with cancer as a chronic illness. CA: A Cancer Journal For Clinicians, 61(1), 50-62. doi:10.3322/caac.20093 MedicineNet.com, (2014). Definition of chronic disease. Retrieved from:  http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=33490  Rager, K.  (2004).  A thematic analysis of the self-directed learning  experiences of 13 breast  cancer patients.” International Journal of Lifelong Education,23 (1), 95-109. Rao, D., Pryor, J. B.,  Gaddist, B. W.,  & Mayer, R. (2008). Stigma, secrecy, and discrimination:  Ethnic/racial differences in the concerns of People Living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS and Behavior, 12, 265-271. doi: 10.1007/s10461-007-9268-x Thornhill, K., Lyons, A. C., Nouwen, A., & Lip, G. Y. H. (2008). Experiences of living with congestive heart failure: A qualitative study. British journal of health psychology, 13(1), 155-175. Ward, B. W., Schiller, J. S., & Goodman, R. A. (2014).  Multiple chronic   conditions among US adults: A 2012 update. Preventing chronic disease, 11. 

Living and Learning with Chronic Disease: Toward Better Methods of Education

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Living and Learning with Chronic Disease: Toward Better Methods of Education

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