Phoenix is 56 and takes care of her 87-year-old mother who has dementia, congestive heart failure, and has had a pacemaker put in. She lived in a supportive living environment, went to the hospital for a broken pelvis, and finally moved into a full care home.
Needs |
Current Approaches Used by Phoenix |
Alternate Suggestions |
What Could Be Created? |
1. Phoenix needs guidance on helping her mother communicate with her doctor in a way that he would understand. | Phoenix kept a logbook going for her mother’s health conditions. She kept track of what her mother had tried, what was successful, and what wasn’t. | ||
2. Phoenix needs help dealing with her mother’s needs over the phone, because they are not geographically close. Phoenix’s mother would make decisions which would put her health at risk. | Phoenix’s mother’s doctor phoned the pharmacy and informed them that her mother did not have the cognitive abilities to make the appropriate logical decisions for herself.
Phoenix’s situation improved when her mother was shifted into a long-term care home that was geographically closer to her. They would not have to phone her with updates unless it was an emergency. |
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3. Phoenix needs help increasing the amount and quality of care given in the care home. Caregivers did not have a lot of time they could spend with each resident. | Phoenix would go in and wash her mother’s face, clean her natures, brush her teeth, comb her hair, clean the corners of her eyes, and put together outfits for her to wear. | ||
4. Phoenix needs help learning more about her mother’s condition. She asked her mother’s facility if they knew of workshops on caring for seniors, but they did not. | Phoenix used the internet to check for information about dementia, and went to courses provided by United Way.
When her mother’s dementia progressed, she looked for support groups to learn about how to interact with her mother in a way which would not scare her. |