Case Study

Mrs Gautam is 87 years old and has been a widow for the past 3 years. She misses her husband’s company but also tells you that she is struggling to cope with the everyday tasks he used to do. She thinks she is getting more forgetful too and so Jasmine, her granddaughter, has offered to take charge of her shopping and paying the bills. Her granddaughter has told her that there are some maintenance jobs that need doing to the house and offered to organise those too. Mrs Gautam has been not left the house in the past four weeks as Jasmine has said she is too frail and that if she falls, she will probably be taken into a nursing home for good. Jasmine has suggested she and her new boyfriend move in to help ‘take care of her’.

1. What factors in the scenario above might make Mrs Gautam vulnerable to abuse?
2. What types of abuse might this scenario lead to and how?

It is rare that there is just one way to respond to a scenario or situation, so do not consider that the responses you have to the above scenario will be judged as right or wrong. Share your scenario with a work colleague or friend and ask them to tell you whether they think you have responded appropriately. Ask them to challenge your response if necessary. You do not need to submit this task for assessment unless asked to do so by your assessor.