Michael is a 65 year-old man who takes care of his father. His father suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in 2006, and has aphasia. His father was able to take care of himself for the most part, but he needed Michael to chauffeur him places. Initially, Michael lived with his father, but his father eventually moved into assisted living when he went into a wheelchair. Michael has experience caring for his mother, who required a greater amount of help.
Needs | Current Approaches used by Michael | Alternate Suggestions | What Could Be Created? |
1. Michael needs help helping his father use the walker when there is snow on the ground. The walker is not strong enough to break through the snow. | Michael lifts the walker unit up to avoid the snow while his father held onto the walker. | ||
2. Michael needs help moving his dad around because he is “dead weight”. Michael does not want to hurt himself, but also needs to move his dad around. | |||
3. Michael needs help washing his father. Over time, it has gotten more difficult transferring his father to the shower. | Seat in the shower because his father cannot stand. This worked well.
Hand held shower allows Michael’s father to wash himself. Michael only helps him with hair washing. |
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4. Michael wishes there was more easily accessible information for when people first become informal caregivers. He found the process a little overwhelming because he did not know who to turn to. | |||
5. Michael needs help dealing with the guilt that came from becoming a full time care giver for his dad, and then putting his father into a long term care home. Michael felt like he failed, despite knowing that it was the best for his dad. | Michael’s religion and faith helped him get through the psychological strains of being a caregiver. | ||
6. Michael needs help taking care of his dad because he started to feel more and more overwhelmed as his father’s condition progressed. Ex: cleaning up his father’s toileting. This was a concern because his father would have to stand up and he has balance problems. | This became less of an issue when his father moved into assisted living. |