Life Stages: Adulthood
The responsibilities of adult life can get even more complicated in the presence of a chronic illness.
Adults face the challenge of maintaining relationships, work, medical insurance, and managing
an often complicated medical disease. For some, reaching adulthood may also mean a change in their system of
medical care from a pediatric setting to an adult setting. Compliance with medical management
continues to be an issue as patients balance the issues of the use of invasive medical procedures and quality of life.
Please read "Proposal: Living as an Adult in a Pediatric World" in our Patient Forum Section.
What you can do as an adult:
- Continue to get help and support from others, including your health care professionals, family and friends.
- If you have not already, contact the Thalassemia Action Group for support and to keep updated on new advances in thalassemia care. Phone: (800) 935-0024 or (800) 522-7222. Email: ncaf@aol.com.
- Work with a social worker or a legal action group to ensure that you know your rights in employment and insurance situations.
