Case Analysis For Gerontology

1) After suffering from a sudden stroke, Mrs. Norton’s lost her ability to carry out complex tasks (IADs, instrumental activities of daily living, pg. 140) such as clean, perform tasks around the house, and drive. As the result of the stroke, her right arm became paralyzed and so she also cannot perform basic daily activities (ADLs, activities of daily living, pg. 140) such as shower, put on clothes, or even feed herself. Since her husband cannot give her the proper care she needs at home, Mrs. Norton was relocated into a nursing home where her morale quickly declined. There are several factors that contribute to Mrs. Norton’s waning spirit in the nursing home. The first contributing factor is that she is relocated to a new environment and she is away from home. Most older adults perceive nursing homes negatively (Person- Environment Interaction lecture, slide #10). Mrs. Norton might feel that a nursing home is the last place she will stay before she dies. The nursing home staffs are also trying to accommodate her needs by assisting her with everything, but it makes Mrs. Norton feel like she is losing control and feel helpless and incompetent. Her lack of control in her daily activities contributes to her frustration and despair. It is better for the nursing home staffs to allow Mrs. Norton to have autonomy and choices. This enables Mrs. Norton to feel like she is still capable and competent to do things so when environmental factors such as walking or eating gets a little more challenging, she will not feel like she is completely helpless (pg. 155). Caregivers at the nursing home were also communicating with Mrs. Norton in a patronizing tone and addressing her as “dearie” or “honey”. This is called patronizing speech and elderspeak (pg. 172). Exaggerated speech with increased volume and simplified vocabulary are belittling to older adults. This contributes to her helplessness and can be perceived as a lack of respect.
2) After his wife had the stroke and had to