Mr. L case study

Both Mr. L and his wife are facing a crisis in their old age. One of them is that there is nobody to take care of them. For one, Mr. L is the sole caretaker of his wife, despite being at the age of 82. At that age, anybody, no matter how strong they are ought to have lighter responsibilities. It seems that Mr. L has to do all the work without any assistance, not even from his wife who is ill. He even has to drive himself to the hospital emergency room. Another dilemma that the couple has is the fact that they do not have the know-how of how to seek for help. The wife of Mr. L has an untreated Alzheimer's. It had to take the hand of a hospital social worker to contact Adult Protective Services. It is not clear why Mr. L was reluctant in pressing the issue about his wife illness and his situation but the closest explanation to that is the fact that Mr. L is Hispanic who is in the U.S.

That could be based on the recent challenges faced by the Hispanic population. One of the greatest challenges includes the cultural barriers faced by the Hispanic elderly population (Vega, 2015). Also, they are quite disadvantaged when it comes to the socioeconomic status. Another major problem that the Hispanic elderly population faces is lack of cultural awareness. This translates to a bigger problem of impediment to access to healthcare services. This is the most likely dilemma that Mr. L and his wife are facing. Had Mr. L known about Adult Protective Services, he would have sought for the solution earlier than he had to be assisted? Mr. L's case is one out of many and that portrays in perspective, the kind of challenges faced by the couple. Therefore, there is a big need for creation of programs for education and support not only for Mr. L but also for the rest of the elderly Hispanic population.

Assessment Plan

The problem affects Mr. L in several ways. Physically, he has received many attacks from her wife which has left bruises and wounds that need medical attention. It is clear that Mr. L did not want to seek medical attention but was forced to do so when the situation came to worse. Emotionally, he is struggling with an internal turmoil of offering protection for his wife. He conceals his problem by not informing the members of his church. It is clear that Mr. L is a religious person given that he has some friends from the church. Due to the Alzheimer's symptoms showing with lack of treatment, it is clear that Mr. L is experiencing a strain on his relationship with his wife. Mr. L's wife is also going through a lot of problems, physically. For one, she is in dire need of treatment for Alzheimer's symptoms. She is also emotionally deprived given that she has to cope with the torment brought about by the symptoms of Alzheimer's. She inflicts her husband a lot of harm to show that she is in great distress. She is also experiencing a strained relationship because of her disease (Baruth & Manning, 2016).

Mr. L is in immediate danger because of the physical attacks by his wife. Despite his old age, he had to drive himself to the hospital to seek medical attention. His wife too is in dire need of immediate medical attention, and consequently, she is in danger given the possible injury she might inflict herself or other people when she is in a combative state.

Both Mr. L and his wife have physical and psychological health needs. Mr. L is in need medical attention and care because of the physical injuries he sustained in his arms, as well as psychological trauma he experiences while caring for his wife. It is also clear that the health of Ms. L is in a critical stage because of the aggressiveness she portrays due to Alzheimer's symptoms. The social functioning of the couple as a whole is unclear, but it is clear that Mr. L attends church and has some fellowship there. Therefore, there are some social interactions with him. The financial position of Mr. L is quite unclear, but it can be supposed that he is not in a good financial standing because he fails to seek professional care available.

Intervention

Which Social Theory of Aging can be applied?

Disengagement theory is the social theory of Aging that can be applied. This theory views aging as a process of gradually withdrawing of the older adults from the society. This is a natural phenomenon that is acceptable, natural and universal process accompanying old age (Moore, 2015). By this theory, disengagement is beneficial to both the social system and the older population. What are the identified intervention goals for the client?

Immediate care: Providing the client with medical attention with his wife

Comprehensive assessment of needs: this is to determine resources, problems and service needs the client need in the long run.

Care planning: for specification of the amounts and types of care for the client.

Service arrangement: for implementation of the care plan through both informal and formal providers.

Monitoring: for purposes of ensuring services are provided like it was planned, and given modification as necessary.

Reassessment: for purposes of adjusting care plans to changing needs.

What are the outcome measures?

Leads to good health for Mr. L and her wife.

Independence, comfort and increase in the confidence of recovery.

It will lead to salvaging of the couple's relationship

It will increase the life span of both couples

What would need to be re-assessed and within what time frame?

Cultural dilemma among the Hispanic

Reaching out to the financially strained elders.

References

Baruth, L. G., & Manning, M. L. (2016). Multicultural counseling and psychotherapy: A lifespan approach. Routledge.Moore, C. (2015). Moral disengagement. Current Opinion in Psychology, 6, 199-204.

Vega, W. A., Markides, K. S., Angel, J. L., & Torres-Gil, F. M. (Eds.). (2015). Challenges of Latino aging in the Americas. Springer.