Pre-Engagement
Mr. Anthony is an elderly man who was first admitted to The Lilly because of a fall. Unfortunately, Mr. Anthony is stuck in the nursing home because of insurance problems. I have been working with Mr. Anthony for almost two months now and have gotten to know him pretty well. We have been working on helping him gain more independence give his current situation, and to motivate him.
Narrative
When working with Mr. Anthony, we have begun to figure out some of the things that peak his interest. He told me that he really loves to read and he would like to have more opportunities to read. As a result, we have decided that Mr. Anthony will begin to take weekly trips to the library, and as time goes on perhaps he will make more visits. In addition, there are many recreational activities which are offered to the residents of The Lilly, I would like Mr. Anthony to participate in these activities as well. He said that he would be interested, but he does not always have the motivation to get himself up to go to these activities.
Mr. Anthony and I began to look at intrinsic motivation theory. I explained to him that extrinsic reward will affect intrinsic motivation. The more he does for himself, the more motivated he will be to do more, and the more independent he will feel. Interestingly, soon after we spoke about this Mr. Anthony related that lately he has been feeling more motivated to do things for himself. He said that he was able to tell himself that there are so many people in the nursing home who are in much worse shape than he is. He said that so many people just sit around in their wheel chairs unable to speak or to move due to a stroke or something of that nature. He feels that they are just sitting around and waiting. Mr. Anthony was able to see the good in his situation and was able to use this to help his motivation. I realized that the strength perspective would be an extremely helpful approach to this case. Mr. Anthony was able to break the bad cycle which he was in.
Mr. Anthony reported that he has been going to the library more often and he is feeling better about himself. In addition, Mr. Anthony told me that he had gone to an activity which included potting plants. He mentioned that this was extremely helpful to him. He has had issues with his wife and son because of all of the problems with his insurance, and he feels that they are not doing enough to help him. Unfortunately, Mr. Anthony is not able to help himself whrn it comes to his insurance. This played a very large role in Mr. Anthony’s mood and lack of motivation. Mr. Anthony has been able to help himself to do things in order to get his mind off of his situation. In addition, Mr. Anthony has been able to see the good in his situation, and he has realized that he has so much to be thankful for.
Impressions
Working with Mr. Anthony has been an extremely educational experience. I have learned a great deal by applying learned theories into real life situations. In addition, I have learned a great deal from Mr. Anthony. For example, Mr. Anthony taught me that finding the good in a person’s situation can play a very large role in helping the person accept it. This would have been a very good approach to work with, for Mr. Anthony is a naturally positive person who was going through a hard time. As a result I have used the strengths perspective with other clients since Mr. Anthony. I find that it is a good way of helping people who are feeling down to feel more positive. Mr. Anthony is now living a better life in the nursing home. He is able to find the strength to get himself out of his room and participate in his choice of activity. Mr. Anthony has been able to make a schedule for himself to follow in order to keep himself up and positive.
Plans for Future Action
In the future when working with other clients, I will know how to better assess them when we first begin. I will be more likely to use a self-anchoring scale, for it helps both the client and myself to get a better idea of how the client is feeling. In addition, I would be more likely to encourage the client to keep a journal. Sometimes when a person is not feeling the way he was yesterday, he is not able to recall his specific emotions and thoughts. By keeping a journal and writing things down, it is easier to go back to a certain situation and discuss the feelings which were involved with the scenario.