Case Study #5
Late Adulthood
Elizabeth, an 80-year-old widow, will soon be released from the hospital's
rehabilitation center after suffering a broken hip. She can move about now,
but needs to use a cane. Her mobility is only slightly impaired. Despite her
age, she appears physically and mentally capable of caring for herself. Before
her accident, Elizabeth was active in her church, and had a male friend who
drove Elizabeth to different church activities. For the past 12 years since
her husband died, she has lived alone in a small apartment. Paying for rent
and food takes most of her social security check. She has no savings or other
sources of income.
During Elizabeth's' hospital stay, her son noted that she occasionally seemed
forgetful and showed some confusion about the circumstances of her accident
and how long she had been in the hospital. Her forgetfulness and confusions
were not persistent, however, and she now seems mentally alert and aware of
things around her.
Elizabeth's son, who lives in another state, wants her to come live with him
and his wife. Elizabeth's daughter-in-law does not work, and they have no
children. Discuss this situation in relation to developments in late adulthood.
First briefly describe 4 different living arrangements that apply to this case. Don't make any recommendations in your answer to this particular question.
2nd, answer according to only part one of the Discussion guidelines: In each case, the first issue you will write about will be an Erikson's stage of psychosocial development. Don't choose previous stages. Find and read about the appropriate Eriksonian stage in you book. Do not spend energy summarizing Erikson's stages in your paper (although you should be able to.) Once you understand the stage, explain why this stage is relevant to the discussion case, other than simply referring to the age of the person. The stage might be important to consider because of the unique circumstances of the case, or because of what the person does that shows he/she is struggling to resolve the crisis of development articulated by Erikson.
3rd, if Elizabeth agrees to live with her son, what problems do you foresee?
4th, What advantages might there be for living with her son?
5th, what recommendation concerning living arrangements would you make in this case? Who should make this decision and why?
Lastly, answer according to part two of the Discussion guidelines (i.e., identify a non-Erikson issue): In addition to an Erikson stage of development, use your textbook to identify one other important developmental problem/issue that specifically applies to the case, or is clearly illustrated by the case. Only pick one other issue in addition to an Erikson stage. Be specific! "Psychosocial development" is too broad and general, as would "family relationships" because every case has a psychosocial development issue and a family relationship, so you must be specific while using your own words. Don't re-define the issue (that's already done in the case). You have limited space to convey a large amount of information, so you should spend your time and energy on relating the text to the case. You don't have to provide recommendations for this issue.