Quality of Life

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Course Name: Orientation to Health Science Professions

  Program Name: Health Science

  Course Number: 8400110

  Course Type: Orientation/Exploratory

  CIP Number: 03179999OR

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson should be used with the Case Study "The Impact of Parkinson’s Disease," (See CPALMS Resource ID 220378). This is the first lesson for this case study and can be followed by the lesson “Home Health Aide” (See CPALMS Resource ID 220216).

• Career Connection

  
  

  Students will be introduced to a common chronic illness of the elderly (Parkinson’s Disease). They will discuss how both temporary and chronic illnesses impact quality of life.

  Students will collaborate to analyze quality of life scenarios. Students will demonstrate verbal communication skills as they present their scenarios to the class. Students will discuss the importance of showing empathy to people with chronic illnesses and other medical conditions.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • define quality of life.
  • identify factors that affect quality of life.
  • describe how chronic illness, such as Parkinson’s Disease, affects quality of life.
  • analyze scenarios to assess the impact of various situations on a person’s quality of life.
  • present a scenario to the class, explaining how the situation affects the person’s daily activities and quality of life.
  • describe the importance of empathy in the medical field.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • Some diseases are permanent and cannot be cured.
  • Some diseases/conditions impact a person’s ability to live and function independently.
  • Illnesses/Diseases can impact a person’s happiness, because they may not be able to do things they enjoy doing.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • How do chronic illnesses, like Parkinson’s Disease, impact Quality of Life?
  • What makes an illness 'chronic'?
  • How does chronic illness affect a person’s daily activities?
  • Why is developing empathy skills important in the medical field?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. Pose the following bellwork/warm-up question: “Think about a time when you were sick. How did it affect you emotionally? What other aspects of your life were impacted by being sick?”
     • Then, have students discuss their answer with a partner.
     • Call on students to share with the class.
       
       
  2. Provide the case study “The Impact of Parkinson’s Disease,” (See CPALMS Resource ID 220378) to students.
     • Tell students that the case study will provide background/setting for today’s lesson.
     • Have students read it aloud with a partner or group.
       
       
  3. Then, the teacher will ask the following questions for students to discuss as a class:
     
     • What health problem does Lois have?
     • What are some of the ways that Parkinson’s Disease is affecting Lois? (reduced memory, poor posture, shaking hands, less balance)
     • What is Lois doing to delay the progression of her illness? (exercise)
     • Lois was upset when she learned of her diagnosis. What factors might influence someone’s reaction to a diagnosis like Parkinson’s? (answers may relate to the patient’s mental health, availability of family/support network, ability of family members or funding to provide additional care, could Lois move in with family, cultural stigmas for mental health conditions, etc.)
       
       
  4. Introduction to Quality of Life:
     
     • The teacher will use the “Teacher Handout: Quality of Life” to introduce the concept of Quality of Life, factors that affect quality of life, and activities of daily living (ADL).
     • Then, ask students the following:
       • What factors are affecting Lois’ quality of life? (illness, living alone/independence, friends/family relationships, etc.)
       • How might a different illness have a different effect on quality of life?
         
         
  5. Activity: Quality of Life Scenarios
     • Give each group one of the scenarios from the “Quality of Life Scenarios” file.
     • Each group will be given 5-10 minutes to review a scenario and related questions.
       • Discussion questions for each scenario:
         • What is the person’s illness or injury?
         • How does their medical condition/injury limit their daily activities
         • What might they have trouble doing on their own?
         • How would it impact their Quality of Life?
     • Then, each group will present their scenario to the class, acting as the characters and explaining how the situation affects the person’s daily activities and quality of life.
       
       • Optional: Have students take 1 sentence of notes for each scenario to be used in follow up discussion.
  6. Follow-up discussion: (The teacher should pose these questions to the class.)
  • • Which illnesses/injuries from the scenarios are permanent and which are temporary? (permanent: diabetic blindness/amputation, stroke, Crohn’s, dietary changes from gallbladder removal; temporary: sprain, broken collarbone, concussion; carpal tunnel syndrome, obesity, and migraines could be either permanent or temporary)
    • Extend your thinking: Illnesses that are not likely to be cured are called “chronic” illnesses. What other chronic illnesses are you aware of? (answers may include: cancer, autoimmune diseases like psoriasis or lupus, heart disease, Type 1 diabetes, HIV, Alzheimer’s, mental health conditions like bipolar disorder, etc.)
    • How might having a chronic illness affect someone mentally or emotionally?
    • What is empathy? (Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s feelings, situation, and perspective.)
    • Relate to the Case Study: Imagine what it would be like to have Parkinson’s Disease… how would you want healthcare providers to show you empathy?
    • How does thinking about how a chronic illness might affect a patient mentally prepare you to interact with them as a medical professional?

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • Scenarios will need to be copied; one set for each class to provide one printed scenario for each group in the class.
  • The scenario part of this lesson is designed for students to work in groups. The teacher should set up groups of 2-3 students in advance.
    • Note: Please review guidelines for group work, such as remaining on-task, positive/encouraging team talk, flexibility, equal participation, etc.
  • Lesson pacing: 20 minutes for the case study and discussion questions; 5 minutes for quality of life direct instruction; 30 minutes for the scenarios and presentations; 5 minutes for follow up discussion
  • Assessment: The teacher may informally assess learning through group discussion and observation of students during the scenario activity and presentations.

• Optional

  
  

  Extension Ideas:

  • Invite an employee from a retirement or nursing home to come to discuss what they do to positively impact quality of life.
  • Have students write their own quality of life scenario based on personal experience or research into a specific medical condition.