CASE STUDY: Family Member with Alzheimer’s disease
CASE STUDY: Family Member with Alzheimer’s disease: Mark and Jacqueline Mark and Jacqueline have been married for 30 years. They have grown children who live in another state. Jacqueline’s mother has moved in with the couple because she has Alzheimer’s disease. Jacqueline is an only child and always promised her mother that she would care for her in her old age. Her mother is unaware of her surroundings and often calls out for her daughter Jackie when Jacqueline is in the room. Jacqueline reassures her mother that she is there to help, but to no avail.
Jacqueline is unable to visit her children on holidays because she must attend to her mother’s daily needs. She is reluctant to visit friends or even go out to a movie because of her mother’s care needs or because she is too tired. Even though she has eliminated most leisure activities with Mark, Jacqueline goes to bed at night with many of her caregiving tasks unfinished. She tries to visit with her mother during the day, but her mother rejects any contact with her daughter. Planning for the upcoming holidays seems impossible to Mark, because of his wife’s inability to focus on anything except her mother’s care.
Jacqueline has difficulty sleeping at night and is unable to discuss plans even a few days in advance. She is unable to visit friends and is reluctant to have friends visit because of the unpredictable behavior of her mother and her need to attend to the daily care.
Reflective Questions:
1. How do you think this situation reflects Jacqueline’s sense of role performance?
2. How do you think that Jacqueline may be contributing to her own health?
Sample Solution
The situation that Mark and Jacqueline are facing reflects Jacqueline’s sense of role performance in two main ways. Firstly, due to Jacqueline’s promise to care for her mother in old age, she is feeling a strong sense of obligation to fulfill her duty as daughter and caregiver. This is evident from the fact that she is unable to visit her children on holidays or go out with friends because she must stay home and attend to her mother’s daily needs. Secondly, this situation also reflects an inability for Jacqueline to plan ahead. Despite wanting to be able to carry out leisure activities such as visiting friends or going out for movies, Jacqueline has difficulty sleeping at night and cannot focus on anything other than caring for her mother. By being unable to sufficiently plan ahead due limited time, energy and resources dedicated solely towards caregiving tasks by Jacqueline it demonstrates how overwhelmed she feels with regards to assuming the multiple roles in addition caring for herself (Smith & Smithson 2020). Thus, while there is an understanding of how important it is for family caregivers in situations like these it highlights the need for additional support through social programs or government services which can provide respite options or financial benefits depending upon individual circumstance so they do not have should feel such strain when managing both their own lives along with those of their loved ones who require assistance.
