Social Challenges of the Onset of Old Age - Case Study Example

Academic Essay (Case Study) Name Tutor Course Institution Date Table of Contents Introduction 3 Case Study 4 Alan (main and elderly client) 4 Karen and Vivian 8 Conclusion 10 List of References 11 Introduction The onset of old age comes with its many challenges that if not handled well can lead to complexities to the older generation. It is therefore evident that quite role evolution and losses experienced by the elderly intensify their susceptibility. The role transitions include children leaving home to begin their own families, retirement, death of a spouse and isolation are some of the factors that greatly contribute to the older generation vulnerability. Thus being elderly has a lot of unique issues that are usually associated with it. The elderly generally experience a magnitude of losses as they age. It is therefore important for the social worker to be aware of the grief cycle and how to enable elderly clients come through it. There is need for counseling for the elderly so as to enable them to continue aging gracefully. However, one of the challenges that many social workers face is the elderly resistant to counseling and diminutive self-assurance on the outcome of the whole process. Thus it is important for the social worker to employ social work best practices so as to instill confidence among the elderly clients and make the counseling process a success. In addition, most elderly clients are not in a healthy physical state and are more often dealing with such medical issues as depression, anxiety, dementia among others. These health problems usually interfere with the counseling and recovery process of an elderly client. During counseling process of the elderly the social worker is usually faced with a variety of challenges but at the same time the counseling for the older generation can be very rewarding. Planned transition is usually an ongoing process. The paper will focus on the case study given in the application of social work process for the given client through the use of relevant major skills and techniques in the professional relationship (Evans et.al. 2004). Case Study Alan (main and elderly client) In relation to the case study Alan who is an older client is in need of counseling from the social worker. This is due to the fact that he is still in a mourning process after the sudden death of his wife. Sudden death of a spouse (Ellen) is a difficult life even to effectively deal with especially among the elderly. Since they were childhood sweethearts it becomes difficult to accept her sudden demise. He is also experiencing some health issues that accompany the aging process. He is in a state of isolation since he lives alone and does not have any other form of social outlets apart from his men’s group in church. As a social worker who is engaging Allan in the counseling process it is important to note that counseling is a process that requires its initiation and termination stages. As a professional the social worker needs to apply certain major skills and techniques so as to achieve every phase of the social work process together with the client (Fitzgerald et al 1995). In regards to the social work process the social worker should be able to understand that there is need to be aware of our own abilities and limitations. In working with the client the ethical competence states that the issue of informed consent should be adhered to. The social worker will put into practice the generalist intervention model. Hence Alan as an elderly client should be informed of the purpose of the counseling and what the counseling process will entail. Alan should therefore be made to know what will happen and if he is agreeable with the kind of services the social worker intends to offer. Every aspect of the social work process should be made known and in each stage his consent should be sought. Confidentiality is another ethical practice that should be adhered to by the social worker. Confidentiality will enable Allan as a client to be open about the issues that he is facing and also help in building trust between the social worker and the client. The social worker should therefore exhibit a high professional level in regards to the knowledge, skills and values in social work practice (AASW). Planned change is an ongoing process that involves the use of certain skills and techniques in each of the social work phases. The engagement phase involves the first meeting between the client (Allan) and the social worker. The social worker should be able to utilize the skills of verbal and non verbal communication from the time when Alan enters the room and when greetings are exchanged. The verbal form of communication entails the exchange of words between the social worker and Alan while the non verbal form of communications encompasses the gestures and feeling of the client that the social worker will be able to observe through direct eye contact with the client. The social worker has to prioritize the needs of the client and give the client a brief orientation of what is expected and how the process will be managed. In cases whereby completion of necessary paper work is required the client should be made aware and the paper work completed before the commencement of the whole process. The social worker should be able to build a good rapport so as to establish trust. Effective rapport building enables the client to be comfortable and establish a trust relationship. Rapport building is done through a warm welcome to the client. Building of trust will enable the client to be more open in articulating issues and his feelings (Ferguson et al.2008). A social worker should posses a skill of active listening during the initial phase of counseling. Active listening will enable Alan to let out all his feelings and issues. Active listening can be done through nodding of the head to what the client is saying and also repeating what the client has said. This will give the client an opportunity to let out. The skill of questioning also goes hand in hand with active listening. The social worker can ask the client (Alan) questions in clarification to what he has said. The art of questioning will enable the social worker to get a clear picture of the client situation. Paraphrasing as a skill in social work practice enables the social worker and the client to build up a working connection. It usually gives the interview a direction and ensures that there is a sense of greater understanding between the social worker and the client. Due to the fact that Alan is an elderly client there is need for the social worker to apply the paraphrasing skill to understand him at a greater length and also for Alan to be motivated to continue opening up. In the process of paraphrasing the social worker is in no position to alter or change the client’s statement. When this is done it is unethical. Paraphrasing usually goes hand in hand with summarization. Summarization generally assists the client to review what has been said. This is vital since Alan is an elderly client and it would become difficult for him to recall what has been said. Thus summarization will only act as a reminder of what the social worker has been able to discuss with the client. Clarification is also an important aspect that the social worker has to apply when dealing with an elderly client such as Alan. The skill of clarification ensures that the client is able to understand well what has been discussed between him and the social worker Cultural considerations as a skill applied by the social worker are also an important aspect (Pritchard, 1999). The social worker has to be sensitive of the cultural affiliations and backgrounds of the client. In the case study Alan is a Chinese descent but he lives in Australia. Thus the social worker may be required to adjust the body language or the intervening position so as to sit the cultural orientation of the client. When cultural considerations of a client are not adhered to the client may feel intimidated or offended and in the process jeopardizing the whole process with the social worker. Culture involves the way of life and orientations of individuals. It consists of individual’s values, beliefs, customs, and racial ethnic, religious or social groups. Thus as a social workers the aspects that encompasses the client’s cultural orientation should be considered for a successful process and to enable the building of rapport between the social worker and the client (Aldgate et.al. 2007). During the assessment phase the social worker should be in a position to identify his client. According to the case study the main client is Alan who is elderly and suffers from health related issues as a result of his advanced age. He is still in the process of grief and mourning after the sudden death of his wife who was also his childhood sweetheart and this forms his micro situation. He is of a Chinese descent that lives in Australia. He has two daughters who are married and not living with him hence he is isolated since he does not have any other relatives living in Australia that forms his macro situations. After the social worker has identified the client’s problems, the client should be made aware of his problems. In the case study Alan’s problems include his current state of grief and mourning after his spouse sudden death, isolation, health related issues and his two daughters who are not in stable form of marriage. Alan is in need of a counseling process with the social worker so as to enable him to effectively cope with his current situations in life. Every client has both weaknesses and strengths. One of Alan’s strengths according to the case study is the fact that he is quite spiritual and attends the Methodist church every Sunday. He is also a member of the men’s group and attends meetings monthly. His daughters and a few friends in Australia also act as a support system for Alan. After the assessment phase the social worker together with the client will engage in the planning and implementation of the process. This phase entails the ways and period of implementation of the process. Evaluation phase is whereby the client together with the social worker evaluates the process and gauges whether the process has been a success or not. This will entail if the client has been able to cope with the issues he was facing or the problems are still there. The phases of termination and follow up will then proceed. The follow up process will determine if the social worker will apply reassessment or discontinue contact with the client. This phase will be determined by the fact that Alan as an elderly client has been able to cope with his problems fully or not (Wing and Jill 2006). Karen and Vivian According to the case study Karen and Vivian are the two daughters of the main client (Alan). Family support is usually a crucial aspect in the counseling process by the social worker. Karen lives with her partner, Tom who suffers from bi-polar disorder and this follows the sudden death of Karen’s mother. A social worker has to engage Karen on the services that are being offered and help her identify her problems and how she will be able to cope with her present issues. Just like her father, Karen is in a state of grief and mourning process following the sudden death of her mother. Her husband is suffering from bi-polar disorder that requires constant care and attention from her. Bi-polar disorder is a condition that is characterized by mood swings that can be accompanied by violent behaviors. Most patients who suffer from bi-polar disorder require the services of a psychiatric so as to be able to manage the condition. With the use of social work best practices the social worker has to engage both Karen and Tom in the whole process while at the same time upholding the aspect of confidentiality. The application of the skills of verbal and non verbal communication, rapport building, active listening, questioning and paraphrasing will enable the social worker together with the client to help the client to cope with the problem of mourning and grief an mourning while at the same time be in a position to care with her husband who is suffering from the bi-polar disorder. The social worker has to take Karen through the process of grief and mourning so as for her to accept the sudden death of her mother and be able to cope with the current situation of her husband and be able to adequately care for her husband (Lam et.al. 2010). Another of Alan’s daughter, Vivian also lives close by but she is engaged in a violent relationship with her partner resulting to her arriving home in the middle of the night unannounced and has two children. Due to the sudden death of her mother she is still in the process of grief and mourning. The social worker therefore has to take Vivian with the use of social work skills and practices on how to effectively deal with the sudden grief of her mother. In regards to her violent relationship with her partner the social worker has to take her through the process of dealing with her current situation. In most circumstances violent relationships usually causes lots of trauma and mental suffering to the victims. The victim feels a sense of rejection and low self esteem as a result of the effects of violent relationships they are engaged in. The social worker should help her realize that running away from her problems will not solve any issue. Since she often runs away to her father’s house as a result of her violent husband it seems that she is trying to escape from her problems. The social worker through the social practice skills should be able to guide her on how to deal with her problems successfully instead of running away from her issues (Hayslip and Smith 2012). Conclusion It is evident that old age comes with a lot of challenges that range from isolation, loss of a spouse, health related problems among others. Counseling or engaging with a social worker is crucial during this stage. However in the most emphasis was not made on the engagement of the elderly clients with a social worker. Many aged individuals go through these old age issues in silence without engaging with any individual. This is due to the fact that the elderly do not have any social outlets to let out their issues. For instance in the case study whereby Alan who is an elderly man and a Chinese descent lives alone in a big house and is still in the course of mourning his wife (Ellen) who was his childhood sweetheart. Thus it is important for social workers to engage with the elderly through the process of counseling with the use of social work best practices and skills. This process will therefore enable the elderly to age gracefully while at the same time able to cope with the issues that arise as a result of the aging process. In situations whereby the aged are overwhelmed with so many issues as they continue to age; depression may set in. Due to the vulnerability of the older people it is vital that they receive a lot of care and counseling form social workers as this will act as their let out point for their concerns especially in situations where the elderly are living alone and isolated with no relatives around to take care of their needs. Family support also plays a crucial role in the care of the elderly. In situations whereby the family members are also in a crisis it is important that the social worker engages the entire family in the process so as to create a family unit that will help each other. Social work best practice through the application of various skills plays a crucial role. Thus as social workers it is fundamental that they become comprehensive with such practices and skills and be able to apply the sane efficiently in the course of procedures that the undertake in their every day practice of dealing with different sets of clients. List of References Evans, D., Hearn, M., Uhlemann, M., & Ivey, A. (2004). Essential Interviewing. A programmed approach to effective communication. Brooks/Cole. Belmont,California Fitzgerald et al 1995, Tran cultural Mental Health Centre. NSW. Yarrow Place 2012, Values in the agency context, University of Australia. AASW Code of Ethics http://www.aasw.asn.au. Retrieved on 1st August, 2013. Ferguson et al.2008, Best Practice in Social Work: Critical Perspectives, Palgrave Macmillan. Wing Hong Chui and Jill Wilson, 2006, Social Work and Human Services Best Practice, Federation Press. Aldgate Jane, Seden Janet and Wendy Rose, 2007, Enhancing Social Work Management: Theory and Best Practice from the UK and USA, Jessica Kingsley Publishers Pritchard, J 1999, Elder Abuse Work: Best Practice in Britain and Canada, Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Hayslip,B and Smith G., 2012, Resilient Grandparent Caregivers: A Strengths-Based Perspective, Routledge. Lam, et.al. 2010, Cognitive Therapy for Bipolar Disorder: A Therapist's Guide to Concepts, Methods and Practice, John Wiley & Sons. Read More