Need a response to both discussion. Responses need to be a least 400 words each.
1. John and Lydia are a couple I their 90s who have been together for a few decades. Both were experiencing the loss of memories and a lot of confusion. Because of the forgetfulness and confusion, they’re unable to take care of themselves or maintain the house as they once did. The couple needs help. They are experiencing physical and cognitive changes that have been documented in adulthood (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).
John and Lydia are no longer using their upstairs and that’s where the bathroom and bedroom is located. Their sleeping arrangement is a couch for her and a low-lying cot for him. This low-lying cot has caused a few problems for John placing in a situation where he has gotten hurt a few times and even affecting his balance. Both are using buckets as their toilet and throwing the waste in the backyard. This is another age-graded change known as a life-course change. You are seeing the shifts in their life task (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). They do have two children in their 70s and as you can see, they are older as well and having to deal with age related problems and a spouse too.
Some of the things that can be done is to update the house to suit the needs of the parents. They have money and do not want to use it. The son seems to be more invested in having it after they’re gone so there hasn’t been a major push.
a small renovation to make the 1st floor work for the parents would be great. Having someone come in making sure food is done, cleaning and meds are taken. Creating a support team with case workers, and family so that they do not fall through the cracks and their needs are met. Communicating with them the need of not losing their home or going into a nursing home to maintain their independence with help. Informing them that if they did not leave, they can be made to go into assisted living or a nursing home because of the condition in which they live.
Another plan can be to find out the cost of their home with some work and to see if they can sell it. This would allow them to find a new home to fit their needs. With all these changes maybe overwhelming for them but sitting down and explaining the benefits should make them happy. Older adults resist change because they have seen how change can be negative. They only want to make sure change is for the greater good.
Reference
Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
2. John & Lydia are a couple in their nineties who have been married for over sixty years. Both John & Lydia are beginning to display forgetfulness and confusion which are both signs that can be contributed to dementia (Broderick, 2015). John & Lydia are the parents to two sons. Both of their sons are in their seventies and unable to provide them with the care and supervision that they are needing due to personal and family reasons of their own. Their physical health is becoming fragile and their living conditions are also becoming unsafe and unsanitary to them both. Due to their increased age, both John & Lydia can be in the stage of terminal decline, where their cognitive ability is deteriorating (Broderick, 2015).
To better assist both John & Lydia, more information on other family members would be a great help to figure out if they have available family members that could step in and assist them. A mental health assessment would also be beneficial to verify if it would continue to be safe to allow both John & Lydia to continue living on their own. Their medical history would also be of great importance to have a better idea in knowing if John & Lydia face any medical health issues.
In attempting to provide John & Lydia with further assistance, my first option would be to offer them with assisted living facility. I would explain to them that we understand that they are wanting to conserve their money but with assisted living facility they could continue to live together but in a safer environment. I would transport them to one of our local assisted living areas and let them see for themselves how beautiful the area is and introduce them to the facility’s staff. The staff could introduce themselves and speak of what their job would consist of which would be to provide them care as needed and to always make sure that their safety is priority.
Moving in with family members who could assist them with their daily living could also be an option but only if the family members where capable of providing them with the care and supervision that they both are needing. The risk of this would be not having the assurance that both John & Lydia are receiving the care and supervision that would be highly needed. Due to their health and age it would be a great commitment to them both in providing them around the clock care and supervision.
References
Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015), The life span: Human development for helping professionals 4th Ed. Upper Sandle River, Pearson NJ.
