Question

e Sanchez Family Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez, aged 77 and 68 respectively, have been raising their two grandchildren for the past five years. Maria (age 10) and Tony (13) were orphaned five years ago when their parents (the Sanchez’s daughter and her husband) were killed in an automobile accident. The children’s father was driving home with his wife home from a party where he had been drinking heavily. Neither of the Sanchez’s two other children were in a position to take on parenting responsibilities. Mr. Sanchez is retired from a position with the post office. Mrs. Sanchez supplemented their income by cleaning apartments. Approximately two months ago, Mr. Sanchez suffered a stroke, which left him with considerable impairment. He has been admitted to a rehab facility, where he is progressing well, and the expectation is that he will be returning home. He currently has some speech impairment and is partially paralyzed on one side. It is not clear how fully he will recover, but the expectation is that there will be some residual impairment. It is also unclear how he will be able to manage as the home has two stories, and the only bathroom is on the second floor. Prior to Mr. Sanchez’s stroke, Tony was beginning to get into trouble at school. This took the form of “sassing” his teachers and failing to do his homework assignments. Last week, Tony assaulted another student and was therefore temporarily suspended from school. Maria, always a quiet child, has presented no problems at school, although her teachers have noticed that she now spends more time by herself. Mrs. Sanchez initially was able to handle things with the same determination and task-oriented focus that she used to deal with the loss of her daughter and transition to the “parent” role for her grandchildren. However, Tony’s suspension from school has taxed her beyond her ability to cope. Mrs. Sanchez has become weepy, unable to focus, and unable to make decisions. She has had difficulty explaining to Tony and Maria what is happening to their grandfather. She has not told Mr. Sanchez about Tony’s suspension. Mrs. Sanchez is called to attend a meeting with the school principal and social worker. When the social worker asks Mrs. Sanchez if she could give them any insight into why Tony has become so aggressive, she bursts into tears.

QUESTION:

1. What Information do you want to know?

Is there more information to gather, if so WHAT and your rationale for the WHAT?

What resources would you implement for all parties in this case?

Identify attitudes and stereotypes toward aging and older adults?

Answer 1

1. What Information do you want to know? Is there more information to gather, if so WHAT and your rationale for the WHAT?

1.Mrs. Sanchez - resilient but seems very depleted

2. Apparent lack of informal support (extended family)

3. Questionable formal supports (social security, pension, Medicaid for the children)

4. Identify the legal status of grandparents caring for children

5. Identify school supports

6. Identify missing information about social supports, such as the Sanchez’s two adult children, friendships, religious affiliation.

7. Identify and know how to inquire about coping style, i.e. is the strengths that have enabled the family, especially Mrs. Sanchez to handle previous stressors.

What resources would you implement for all parties in this case?

Be mindful of Mr. S's need for follow-up evaluation After his return home, for post-stroke work. His training in the areas of language, comprehension, mobility and physical self-care may affect the degree of burden on Mrs. Sanchez, her reserve capacity to respond to the needs of the children, Mr. Sanchez 'willingness to engage in the work on the issues of the children and the willingness of the children to sustain or restructure their relationship with their grandparents. Examine the potential reasons why Tony acts out

Identify attitudes and stereotypes toward aging and older adults?

Be prepared on the part of the students in the class for behaviours of ageism (e.g., children should not be put with such old grandparents, Mrs. Sanchez is too old to work, etc). Students may not know they 're working from prejudices or misunderstandings. Some students may have had no contact with older persons other than their grandparents