Why Can It Be Difficult to Decide If a Person Is a Carer?
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- Date Submitted: 05/27/2011 03:27 AM
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This assignment is to introduce the case of my grandmother, dot, as it is very easy to see how the factors from unit 1 apply to her. She is 91 years old, was widowed 10 years ago and still lives alone in the same terraced house they shared. Although in very good health for her age she now has some issues with heart problems and mobility, and general problems concerned with the elderly.
Although she lives within walking distance of doctors surgery and shops and indeed walks to surgery unaided once a week for blood tests, she is unable to manage food shopping and 1 of her daughters, joy, and son-in-law help out each week. Also once a week her daughter helps to clean up, doing the heavier jobs dot cant manage herself. dot is fiercely independent though and cares for her personal needs, bill paying, and general household tasks, as well as having the great grandchildren to stay during the day. dot has a large support network involving children and in-laws. However there isn’t a single person who could be classed as a ‘carer’.
Interdependency also steps in, as dot also helps out the extended family by looking after grandchildren during the day, she also basically runs her own household, and pays her own rent every week as well as organising tasks that need doing and deciding which dot cant manage and asks joy to do. So it becomes clear that the care is a 2 way thing in this case as dot is both a receiver and a giver.
It is very difficult when looking at the duration and frequency of care given to decide whether joy is actually a carer for dot, as dot is very capable in certain ways such as washing bathing and dressing herself, indeed she even organises her own hair appointments, but her needs vary and as she is fairly frail some tasks such as cooking (lifting heavy pans), keeping garden tidy, shopping, are beyond her, as are cleaning tasks such as vacuuming. In this case joy has to step in to keep dot both safe from hurting herself, as she would try and have a go...
Although she lives within walking distance of doctors surgery and shops and indeed walks to surgery unaided once a week for blood tests, she is unable to manage food shopping and 1 of her daughters, joy, and son-in-law help out each week. Also once a week her daughter helps to clean up, doing the heavier jobs dot cant manage herself. dot is fiercely independent though and cares for her personal needs, bill paying, and general household tasks, as well as having the great grandchildren to stay during the day. dot has a large support network involving children and in-laws. However there isn’t a single person who could be classed as a ‘carer’.
Interdependency also steps in, as dot also helps out the extended family by looking after grandchildren during the day, she also basically runs her own household, and pays her own rent every week as well as organising tasks that need doing and deciding which dot cant manage and asks joy to do. So it becomes clear that the care is a 2 way thing in this case as dot is both a receiver and a giver.
It is very difficult when looking at the duration and frequency of care given to decide whether joy is actually a carer for dot, as dot is very capable in certain ways such as washing bathing and dressing herself, indeed she even organises her own hair appointments, but her needs vary and as she is fairly frail some tasks such as cooking (lifting heavy pans), keeping garden tidy, shopping, are beyond her, as are cleaning tasks such as vacuuming. In this case joy has to step in to keep dot both safe from hurting herself, as she would try and have a go...