Hypothetical case scenario
Margaret Thomas (a pseudonym) is a 75-year-old British citizen, who is a widow. She currently lives in a home for the elderly, where she is under continuous care retirement community. Margaret lives alone away from her family. Despite her small living space, she enjoys staying in it, since she can move around freely, and portrays confidence in her environment. According to Margaret, her background was excellent, where she had a great and loving family. Nevertheless, all her two daughters got married and only visit her occasionally, unlike in the past.
Margaret’s own life has been primarily defined by her health problems. She suffers from a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes and high blood pressure. Diabetes, is a chronic infection, which is associated with abnormally high levels of sugar in the blood (Currie, et al., 2012). The health problems have been affecting her since her mid-40s, where she has well managed these diseases. Her caretakers have to offer her constant medications to help her deal with the conditions. According to Lepir, Šćepović, & Radonjić (2017), when elderly persons are left alone with no family to take care of her, they are likely to go through a period of depression and mental instability, due to the loneliness and neglect. For Margaret, a period of depression, was also attributed to the fact that her husband had passed on when she was in her sixties, leaving a considerable gap in her life.
She has Type 2 diabetes for an extended period of her time. Nevertheless, she has a reasonable glucose control in the past, where she has experienced considerable hardships over the years. Since being bereaved by her husband, she had experienced more frequent medical issues. On top of her diabetes, she was also diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease in the previous year’s winter. On receiving her medications, Margaret states that she is sometimes overwhelmed by the prescriptions, where sometimes the effects make her uncomfortable and sickly. She is also not sure about the best diets to undertake due to the varying prescriptions.
She nonetheless self-monitors the blood glucose occasionally, with the help of her caretakers. She is conversant with what to do in the event of high glucose reading. It is recommended that one of the measures to undertake is to stop consuming a high volume sugary foods (LeRoith, et al., 2019). Margaret is optimistic that she will continue to do well in her care home and hopes that her health condition will improve by the day. She is also hopeful that her family members will visit her more often since their pranced helps her get more hopeful by day.
In recent years, Margaret has been able to move on quickly, where she has a very significant relationship with her caregivers. Despite her fears of getting older by day, she is very keen on getting medication and enough help in ensuring that she takes care of her health status.
The reason for moving into a home care was due to the love and care that she receives from the caregivers. She feels that she has a family now that she has great individuals surrounding her. The social workers play their role in the facility, which is to provide her with essential services despite her old age and deteriorating health (Vickers, 2016). It is also not safe for her to live alone with her old age, where she will always need someone who continually monitors her. The facility will also help her socialize with other people. This will help her reduce her solitude and make her enjoy her life as opposed to staying alone at home.
Intake Assessment Form
Information provided here is protected as confidential information.
General Information
Poor ….satisfactory…. unsatisfactory …..Good ……..very good……….. Excellent
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Services Needed (Click for the most suitable responses)
Companion
Support, friendship, socialization
Hospital sitting
Overall monitoring of well-being
Encouragement and assistance in participation with social activities
Help with correspondence with family and friends
Diabetes care
Respite care for family members
Other
Medical
Insulin Therapy
Use of appropriate supplementation
Other multi nutrients such as vitamin E and C
Encouragement and assistance in participation with social activities
Other medication
Personal assistance
Bathing, toileting, personal hygiene assistance
Light housekeeping
Meal preparation
Assistance with pet care
Shopping and other errands
Transportation to appointments, etc.
Other
