Case Study Adult Development in Social Work
The first service user to be examined is Mr Winston Johnson. He is a 74 years old retired lorry driver and a native of Guyana. His GP has diagnosed him as having the early signs of a dementia type illness with intermittent mental capacity. His wife, Pearl worries about leaving Winston on his own because of his forgetfulness. Winston’s two older children, Deborah and Anthony have expressed their opinion that Winston may be better off in a residential home to lessen the pressure on Pearl. ‘Dementia is an umbrella term used to refer to a collection of symptoms that can result from a number of different diseases of the brain’ (BBC, 2013). The progressive deterioration in cognitive function that is synonymous with dementia tends to result in confusion, memory loss, impaired language skills, communication and information processing difficulties, in addition to unreliable judgement (NHS, 2013). 820,000 people in the UK currently have a diagnosis of dementia and it mainly affects those over the age of 65 with a prevalence of 4.61% in the male population aged 70-74 (Alzheimer’s Research UK, no date). It is estimated that approximately 1 million people will have been diagnosed with dementia by 2021 (Alzheimer’s Society, 2013). Unfortunately, dementia is a progressive disease, for which there is currently no cure. This means that Winston’s existing symptoms of confusion and forgetfulness will gradually get worse and will eventually result in death (World Health Organisation, 2012). Notwithstanding, those diagnosed with dementia are often offered medical and psychological treatments that are designed to either delay or improve the more debilitating aspects of the disease (NHS, 2013). As dementia progresses, memory loss and difficulties with communication often become more severe. The latter stages of dementia result in the likelihood of the individual neglecting their own health and requiring constant care and attention. This can lead to the individual being unable to