Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

 Behaviors, Disability, and Morbidity [WLOs: 1, 2] [CLOs: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7]

Prior to beginning work  on this discussion, read Chapter 3 from the course textbook. Additionally, depending upon your assigned topic, read selected websites and web pages from the following list: Disability Benefits (Links to an external site.), Family and Medical Leave Act (Links to an external site.), Chronic Illness: Common Assistive Technologies (Links to an external site.), Who Is Eligible for Medicaid? (Links to an external site.), Who Is Eligible for Medicare? (Links to an external site.), and Americans with Disabilities Act (Links to an external site.). Lastly, review this week’s Instructor Guidance.

Choose one of the chronic conditions covered in the chapter. The chronic condition you choose must be different from the topic covered in Week 1. Considering the perspective of the patient, respond to this discussion addressing the topic as assigned in the table below. Your initial post must be at least 250 words in length, using the textbook and one scholarly resource.

• Include a summary of the chronic condition and how it leads to changes in behaviors, disability, or morbidity.

TopicFirst Initial of Last Name

Durable Medical Equipment

Discuss two challenges faced by individuals who must use durable medical equipment (DME, also known as “assistive devices”), such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair, to perform their activities of daily living (ADLs). Describe how these affect their quality of life (QOL).B, E, H, K, N, Q, T, W, Z

Legislation & Laws

Review the websites shown under the required resources and linked below related to legislation and laws that affect people with disabilities

Discuss two challenges and impediments that might occur when patients try to utilize these laws and services (e.g., cost, application process, appeals, doctors participating in a timely manner, patient’s knowledge of health care and the laws, etc.).

C, F, G, L, M, R, U, X

Stigmas

Discuss two stigmas associated with people who have the chosen chronic illnesses. Give examples of how each of the stigmas chosen may affect their interactions with people.A, D, I, J, O, P, S, V, Y

Guided Response: Respond to two classmates that addressed a different topic from the one assigned to you. Identify an additional challenge or stigma not included in your peer’s post. Provide rationale as to why you feel that challenge or stigma is important to consider as well. Your response must be a minimum of 100 words.