Respond to discussions 502

If I was a presenting this case to a group of human service providers the developmental theory I would use to help explain this case would be the one found in Erickson’s Stages of Development referred to as the late adulthood stage of their lives.  Lydia and John are at a stage where they are very reliant on things they have done in the past to perform current task. Lydia and John are displaying crystallized intelligence. Crystallized intelligence is referred to as the utilization of an older individual of previous knowledge or experience to help them perform current task (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). This helps explain the decline in the couple’s executive and fluid intelligence. The fluid intelligence is where Lydia and John’s cognitive reasoning comes from, this decline cause both of them to be confused. The executive functions however are when an individual has a working memory and is working towards a goal and is not working intuitively (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). This explains the thought process of Lydia and John knowing they need help caring for themselves but would rather live unsanitary then to seek help. Their crystallized intelligence does not seem to have declined much because both Lydia and John understand their limitations to gaining basic needs. They understand they are unable to walk upstairs therefore they stay downstairs. The both know having a bathroom is a basic need but with no bathroom being downstairs they are force to use a bucket to accommodate their basic needs.

            In addition, to the Erickson’s Stages of Development theory, Erickson’s Personality Theory concept should be considered as well. According to the Erickson’s Personality Theory Lydia and John are both in the Integrity vs. Despair stage. In this stage a person accepts the things they have done over their lives or regret missing out on different opportunities (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Regardless of them being forgetful and having physical limitations the couple still believes they are capable of taking care of themselves. No matter the challenges they face the couple does their best to compensate the obstacles they encounter. Other information I would need to evaluate the couple’s situation is how often are they able to bathe and eat. In addition, I would want to know how often the son visits the couple to check on them and to ensure their basic needs are being met. With the mental state of the couple declining it is highly important and recommended that someone is around to watch over them on a consistent basis. In this case if the son is not able to check on or be around his parents on a regular basis, I would suggest they hire a live-in attendant. A live in attendant would provide the basic needs assistance the couple needs and allow them to remain in the comforts of their own home. The son would have full access to his parents at all times and could rest assure they were being taken care of. Based on their age and comfort in their own homes I would suggest a live in attendant and possible building a bathroom downstairs if affordable. If they continue to live in the conditions they are living in now, their basic needs will continue to go unmet. This is both elderly abuse and neglect that is taken place when the basic needs are not met (Pillemer, 1995). This is viewed as neglect and a human service worker should step in.

 

References

Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Pillemer, K. (1995). Abuse and neglect of elderly persons. The New England Journal of Medicine, 332(7), 437