Introduction Carolyn is a Social Worker that works for Hospice Branch Springs. She has been working with a married couple, Li and Raymond Johnson, for the past few weeks. Carolyn has gotten to know the couple pretty well and has established enough rapport with the family that they are comfortable sharing their concerns with her. Li, the wife, is a 48 year old Vietnamese American dying of cancer. Raymond, the husband, is Caucasian and is a retired vet. Aside from the family and the Social Worker, the other key players in this case would be the staff at Hospice of Branch Springs such as the chaplain, nurses, and volunteers. This writer could even extend that network to the Johnson’s Friends and Family. Problem Statement During a visit …show more content…
Taking into consideration that Li is an immigrant, this would mean that she had to assimilate to her newfound husband and country. This created a number of cultural changes for including religion. Being alienated from her family and having to adjust to a new husband and nation would have added stress to the client, perhaps changing her religion to Christianity was a way from her to feel more accepted by her new culture and husband. Little is known about her life in Saigon, but this writer draws the thought that Li valued religion before she meets her husband and moved to America. Perhaps her switching religion was more of a way for her to freely express this part of herself that would be accepted in her new home. After all, if she continued to practice her old religion’s customs she would have been further estranged from her support system. And from the case, it is known that Li has not contacted her family in Saigon for years. The thought of losing another family could have influenced her change in religion. As the Social Worker on this case, Carolyn would benefit from referring to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics discusses the value that Social Workers uphold the dignity and worth of a person (National Association of Social Workers 2008). This value may offer some guidance to the situation. Alternative Strategies The first strategy suggested would be to schedule a meeting with the Johnsons and the Hospice staff.
The person I interviewed is Raegan. Raegan is a patient advocate in a nursing home. Raegan received her Bachelor’s Degree in psychology at Western Michigan University. She received a Graduate Certificate in patient advocacy from the University of Toledo. Raegan has been a patient advocate for 5 years. She became a patient advocate because she likes helping patients with their direct care needs, and enjoys helping patients navigate through the complex health care system. As a patient advocate, she helps patients in numerous ways. Raegan ensures that patients see the correct doctors, coordinates care between doctors, ensures the patient has access to all available treatment options, and that the treatment plans are being followed. She also educates the family on how to
At Calvary Hospital the well-being of patients is a priority; it is their mission to provide adequate services to both patients and families This hospital has strong, dedicated and caring staff members who work as bereavement counselors. Calvary offers bereavement services for young children, adolescents, and adults. Grieving counseling is offered at no cost and is available for all groups including those who have lost a beloved one at Calvary or in the community. Social workers understand and are aware of the needs of families and patients; they strive to provide, assist and support people through an array of services offered at no cost. Through their efforts, social workers seek to help relieve the family’s stress and assist them in coping with the illness of their loved ones.
She will not give up on her grandson and is determined to keep going for him and to keep him as healthy as possible. What I thought to be interesting is that she never asked anybody in town to bring the medicine to her or to come check on her every day to (not to be morbid) make sure the grandmother is still alive! The race of the nurses is never specified, but perhaps they are white, and if they are white it makes perfect sense why she wouldn't want to ask for help. It seems reasonable not to want help from a race that just several decades ago treated your family like animals, and still now treat you like a lesser person. She can do it own her own and she will show them that.
Even though he is uninterested with what the nurses tell him, he is very co-operative and does everything that is asked of him. The nurses enjoy providing care for him because he can still make major changes in position to help them out and never refuses a medication or acts upset. His status has improved since he was admitted where he was slightly delirious and oriented to name and time only. Patient states “I am slowly getting better with the help of the nurses here,” and no longer goes off topic during conversations. Tom has visited his father to discuss about personal issues but I got the chance to talk to him for a brief moment afterwards. Tom stated that the family issues have been ongoing for quite some time now and with both of them being hospitalized they are unable to attend to matters at home. For now he feels that they should focus on getting healthier before they tackle their family issues. Tom is happy with the way the hospital is proceeding to deal with the issue of the unwanted family member by placing them on a do not acknowledge protocol and allowing them to have conversations when necessary. Tom is currently in the same hospital but on a separate floor for his issue and will be unable to work after his hospitalization. I feel that with both of them being hospitalized their issue has been able to become prolonged and
John and Mary were high school sweethearts and best friends. They married at a young age, never had issues communicating with one another, and they have always been a very loving couple towards each other and their children. John is a man’s man and is remised when it comes to speak about emotions and feelings. Mary is very passive and was raised to believe that the man is in charge of the household. Dean has the same ideology as his father about expressing feelings and emotions and Sam is passive like his mother but also subscribes to his father’s machismo ideals. Prior to his last deployment the family was a close-knit group and John was very active in his sons’ lives. They attended Dean’s baseball games, Sam’s Math-lete competitions, and he often took his sons on hunting and fishing trips.
At age 77 J.B. is a healthy and active woman, who spent her life before retirement as a nurse working at Shriners Hospital for Children. Her mental health and wellness as she has aged has stayed strong. She has full cognitive function and is able to make sound decisions about not only her life, but others that she may care for. Her mental health I feel keeps her strong physically along with the fact that she stays active with her husband and grandchildren. Functionally she has no problem mentally or physically going about her everyday activities or any other activities that are required of her. Culturally she is versed in many different cultures as she spent much of her career caring for people as a nurse and working in hospitals. Her
When an individual feels comfortable and welcomed, he or she is able to open up and deal with his or her problems. McMurphy allowed Bromden to “practice” speaking and was “not [in a] hurry to listen” (185). Because “nobody [like McMuphy] has been on the ward before” and taken the time to listen to Bromden, he was left lonely and silent (24). But McMurphy is able to listen to Bromden and connect with him. McMurphy tells Bromden of a time that he silently “bid his time” and then “lay[ed] it in on his co-workers” (186). McMurphy is able to connect with Bromden through his own situation in which he remained silent for an extensive period of time. Although McMurphy spoke in the end, and Bromden still remains silent, they both have a common experience. McMurphy’s personal story allows him to empathize with Bromden and fully comprehend what he is going through. McMurphy and Bromden are able to connect on a personal level despite their oppressive situation in the ward. Neither of the man experienced care or love in their lives, and when they connect with each other they provide it for one another. McMurphy makes Bromden “feel better” and vice versa (216). Having this camaraderie allows the men to let out their true feelings and become whole
The family is struggling to find their identity in the face of this illness. Each family member reflects values in keeping with their Southern Baptist background with faith playing an integral role in their daily lives.
I still miss Ray; he was an elderly man who showed up on my parent’s doorway one day. We had no rooms available at the time. However, Ray was persistent, he told my mom that her coach was very comfortable. Ray stayed with my family until one day he got sick and my dad took him to the hospital. He died at the hospital and it broke my heart that he had no family with him. I am sure it was a difficult choice for Ray to ask a stranger for help. My mom had to make difficult choices as well in regards to deciding which bills to pay. I remember having our utilities get turned off or having to eat only bread for dinner. Knowing and seeing the difficult choices people of all ages, shape and color have to make has made me more culturally sensitive. As we make choices in life, it is good to know that there are places to go for help. I realized through this clinical experience that community health nurses can help individual facing difficulty choices by providing community referrals and initiating inter-professional collaboration. Some of the families might not know there is help available to them and community nurses can help assist them so they don’t have to make the
In my counseling the older adult class we discussed in great detail the different types of culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. and how it affects the way we as health care providers of helpers should approach a person. I’ve learned in my ongoing time here at CMC that there are all kinds of diversity within the healthcare field, amongst the doctors, case managers, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and others caregivers. There is also a lot of diversity within the patients’ in the hospital. Some patients’ come from within the community and some may just be visiting or coming from surrounding communities. Along with the difference in community and backgrounds that the patients’ come from they also vary by illness or healthcare need. At first it is hard to realize the difference among those that come
My first inclination is to better understand Rico’s culture and customs; by doing so, I would be able to better convey my feelings within the framework of his world view. In the PMH lecture on “Meeting Patients Where They Are,” Dr. Farr discussed twelve domains that comprise a culturally competent approach to healthcare. One domain involves communication, which I have discussed in detail above; using a medical translator eliminates errors and bridges the gap to the patient. The model of cultural competence emphasizes understanding the patient’s heritage, family roles and organization and religiosity. I was able to quickly research Mexican American culture, and its attitudes on death and dying, which provides me great insight into Rico’s case. I found that in Mexican culture caretakers are often female family members, and that the family as a unit is expected to care for the elderly. One quote in particular illustrated Rico’s particular resistance to palliative care, as “reluctance to use such programs may be attributed to a cultural resistance to sharing familial problems with outsiders.” By understanding Rico’s cultural background and long held beliefs, I feel I can best understand his mindsight and trepidations; I can also better understand his resistance to his son’s wishes for palliative care. In addition, to meet the patient where he is I would need to better understand his deep religiosity. I would likely call a spiritual care consult to talk with Rico about the benefits of palliative
United Hospice of Rockland is placed in a unique position when it comes to their ability to tell the stories that have the potential for the largest impact. Due to the Health Insurance
This will help lessen the limits of the anti-oppressive practice that can get in the way of providing the best care and attention I can give this family. I need to consider the socioeconomic situation that this family is in and take that into consideration. I also need to watch for the power dynamics within my communication with Becky. As I am the service provider I need to be sure that she is able to trust me and work with me in putting this family in a better situation. In addition, it is also important to keep in mind that there may be cultural differences with this family. As a part of my assessment I will determine the dynamic of
For my module 1 case, I am tasked to review the case of Lanesha Johnsons and answer the following questions; from a cultural perspective, is it unusual that Grandmother Marietta is the primary caregiver? Discuss the ways in which Lanesha, Grandma Marietta, and Hannah Healthcare approach this situation from totally different perspectives. How does Lanesha 's temperament affect the situation? What responsibilities do health care providers have in this situation? The case regarding Lanesha Johnson is both frustrating and eye opening, because it seems that the resolution to this case is so easy, but when you look at it through the lens of cultural barriers, the situation because much more murky. Let’s address the first barrier, Marietta as the primary caregiver.
Kendall Thornton, RN, is drawn to the quiet man who spends every evening caring—and praying—for his brother’s family. But this job is only a stepping stone on the way to bigger challenges, and she can’t get involved