Case Study #8
Kathy is facing a problem which is very common for her generation. Providing
care for her father has become necessary, which presents some issues Kathy and her
husband will want to think about and plan for ahead of time. While her father can still
tend to his personal needs, like dressing and toileting, he can no longer prepare his
meals or keep up with the usual housekeeping chores. Kathy and her husband are
both busy, Mark works full time and is gone from 7:00am to about 5:30pm each day of
the work week. Kathy has a blog which became successful after her daughter was born
two years ago. She is able to stay home and not have to pay for child care, while she
makes less money than she did working her finances about breaks even with having
less expenses.
The most important issue for Kathy and Mark to anticipate and plan for the major
change coming into their lives’. “Stresses in adulthood can become stressors, and
every change has the potential to be a stressor” (pg.627, para 3). They need to
recognize while this change will be good for her father, it will bring additional stress and
issues to work on as a family. If Kathy has any siblings, ill feelings towards them may
be anticipated as she takes on the majority of care for her father. “Although siblings
usually become closer in adulthood, a caregiving burden can disrupt that” (pg. 624, para
4). She may feel she has to do more than everyone else, causing resentment towards
others. She should also be away husbands and wives can become resentful too. If the
care for his wife elderly relative is not what Mark anticipated, it may cause issues in
their relationship.
As I addressed slightly, having Kathy’s father live with them may impact Kathy’s
well-being and her relationship with Mark. While there may be resentment in their
relationship, there is also reward from caring for another person. “A mature adult...