Chronic Disease Management

Health conditions that can’t be cured, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, need diligent chronic disease management to stop them from causing disability and death. At Fountain Hills Medical & Home Health Agency, Lembi Che, DNP, FNP-BC, provides personalized treatments that ease symptoms, slow disease progression, and protect your health. If you have a chronic disease, you need long-term disease management to maintain your quality of life. Call the office in Lewiston, Idaho, or use online booking to request an in-home or telehealth appointment today.

What is chronic disease management?

Chronic disease management provides the holistic care needed to stop a long-lasting (chronic) health condition from progressing to an advanced stage.

Chronic diseases require ongoing management because they’re incurable. Without consistent treatment, they progress, cause more organ damage, and lead to life-threatening problems such as kidney failure, heart attacks, and stroke.

What health conditions need chronic disease management?

These are a few examples of the most common chronic diseases:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Some cancers
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Except for asthma, most chronic diseases are preventable. However, after the disease takes hold, you must continuously manage it to minimize its effect on your health.

What happens during chronic disease management?

At Fountain Hills Medical, Dr. Che customizes chronic disease management to meet each person’s unique health needs. She offers holistic care, supporting you with lifestyle recommendations and medical and mental health care.

Dr. Che’s integrated approach to managing a long-lasting disease includes health screenings, routine check-ups, teaching patients about their condition, and providing, monitoring, and coordinating treatment.

Why does chronic disease management involve lifestyle changes?

Though there are a few exceptions (like asthma), chronic diseases are primarily caused by unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as following a high-sugar or high-calorie diet, avoiding exercise, being overweight, smoking, and excessive drinking.

Replacing those habits with healthy alternatives is the key to preventing and managing chronic health conditions.

For example, if you have type 2 diabetes, it’s essential to keep your blood sugar in the healthy range. High blood sugar causes serious health problems, including non-healing foot ulcers, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, and diabetic retinopathy.

Changing your diet and watching your carbohydrate consumption are critical for controlling blood sugar. Losing weight if needed and engaging in regular exercise also helps lower blood sugar.

Lifestyle changes may be all you need to manage many chronic diseases. But if not, you’ll need medication.

When does chronic disease management require medication?

If lifestyle changes don’t work or your disease is in an advanced stage, Dr. Che prescribes medications to control the condition and ease symptoms.

Call Fountain Hills Medical & Home Health Agency or connect online today to schedule chronic disease management in your home or through telehealth visits.