sense of security

Marie is 68 years
old and is part Scottish and American Indian. She lives in a town
that provides a sense of security for her because she lives close to
her two daughters. Before her moved she lived in the same little
rural town for majority of her adult life.

She started out
working for others and in her late 30’s decided to stop working for
others and open her own business. That business was very successful
but required long hours and hard work. She derived a sense of
accomplishment from her business that could not be matched at any
time in her life. She loved the interaction with others but could no
longer keep up with the physical demands from the business. She
retired 3 years ago. Marie is not wealthy but is capable of
maintaining her home and lifestyle. She reports that now that she is
retired she likes to read and feels most comfortable in her own home.

She currently
reports feeling like she has no purpose. About 5 years ago her best
friend and husband died of cancer. She and her husband had been
married for 47 years at the time of his passing. She was profoundly
shaken by this loss. Upon assessing her living arrangements at the
time of his death, decisions were made in consultation with her two
children to sell the business and move closer to her daughters. The
move has been a positive and negative impact – positive due to the
being around others who care for her yet negative due to the stress
of being around younger children. She reports becoming depressed and
anxious around the anniversary date of her husband’s death.

Marie has two
children Lisa who has just turned 50 and Toni who is in her mid 40’s.
Both Lisa and Toni have young children of their own. Lisa who is a
single mother by choice with twins who are 4 years of age. Toni who
is married and has one child who is 5. Both children live close by
and visit often. When they do visit, Marie complains that the
children make her stressed and tired. Lisa and Toni are concerned
about their mother’s ability to tolerate the activity of the
children. They want their mother to enjoy her grandchildren as much
as possible.

Lisa is dependent
on pain medication due to an injury that she encountered at work
several years ago. She still functions fully as far as work and
social life. She has challenges with the twins that she is raising
and yells at them frequently to the point where one of the children
is beginning to yell back at her and become defiant. She frequently
asks for assistance from Marie with the children. The preschool has
reported that this same child is having difficulty with social
relationships, emotional connections but reports no negative
behavioral issues.

Toni lives with
her husband of 10 years and her daughter who is 5 years of age. Marie
reports that Toni is supportive of her and provides emotional support
when needed. Toni has been caring for her mother during the medical
procedure that has been recently conducted.

Marie has just
recently undergone an extensive knee replacement and is in physical
therapy to regain her mobility. She has been taking prescription
drugs for pain but refuses to take them as directed by the physician
due to her experience with Lisa. She takes the pain medication only
if she is in debilitating pain. Marie often reports having difficulty
with her memory because she has to check on things more often such as
closing the garage door when she leaves, or to check to see if she
has locked the door before bed etc. She is extremely concerned about
losing her cognitive abilities.

Toni has
privately asked for your help in looking for an assisted living
facility for Marie-she believes her mother is having increasing
difficulty living on her own, and doesn’t feel she can provide
consistent aid. She also thinks her sister is taking advantage of her
Marie’s availability to watch her children. Lisa has privately urged
you to convince her mother to start taking her pain medication, as
well as asking you to help explain to Marie how beneficial it is for
children to have a grandparent involved in their lives. Marie has
recently told you that she thinks Lisa may have taken an unopened
bottle of her pain medicine.