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 her granddaughter, who visits her once or twice a month with her new boyfriend, has offered to take charge of her shopping and paying the bills. They have also told her that there are some maintenance jobs that need doing to the house and they have offered to organise that too. Mrs Gautam has been not left the house in the past 4 weeks as her granddaughter has said she is too frail and if she falls she will probably be taken into a nursing home for good. They have suggested that she might be better off if they moved in with her.

• What factors in the scenario above might make Mrs Gautam vulnerable to abuse?
• 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 response you have chosen to this scenario will be judged as right or wrong. Share your scenario with a work colleague and ask them to tell you if 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.