Reference no: EM131636417

Case study: older person

Fiona is 76. She lives alone in a small coastal town where she moved with her husband Ted when he retired. It's a lovely place, but most of the services including the hospital are in the city which is 45 kilometres away.

Ted died suddenly 18 months ago. She's been lonely since, but doesn't like to talk about her problems. She worries she'll bother people.

Fiona worked in a shop but stopped when she had children. Her two daughters live interstate but often visit over summer and ring regularly.

Ted used to do most of the driving. Fiona is ok to get around locally but prefers not to drive at night as her eyes play up.

Fiona has enjoyed an active, healthy life generally, but in the past few years has slowed down a lot. The vegetable garden is hard to keep up with, but she's not so interested in cooking now anyway with Ted gone. Her joints hurt with arthritis. Her left knee is particularly bad.

Fiona likes to read, and goes to the local library once a fortnight when she does her shopping. However, she finds papers about her pension, or legal and health information confusing with all the different terms and details.

Fiona saw DrHuxtable for many years and felt comfortable with her. DrHuxtable retired last year and Fiona doesn't know the other doctors so well. She saw one when she had the flu and felt like he talked down to her.

Her father had a stroke when he was in his 70s which affected his mobility and speech. Fiona doesn't want this to happen to her as she wants to be independent. She's not quite sure what causes strokes.

Instructions for completing the case study report 

Write your report under the following headings, using full paragraphs and references (no dot points).

Introduction to the case study person and population group 150 words

Make a general introduction to the report by introducing your chosen case study person and their population group. Briefly define health

literacy, indicate the reasons why this group might be vulnerable to health literacy concerns and how these factors link to the social determinants of health.

Part 1: Key health literacy issues for this person and the population group they belong to 400 words

Now consider your chosen person and this population in more depth, identifying the health literacy issues you think are important to their health and wellbeing. What role does health literacy have in determining the overall health of this group of people? What is the link between social disadvantage and health literacy?

Part 2: Two important health literacy issues that may impact on the health of this person 400 words

Choose two health literacy issues that you feel are the most important and have the greatest potential to impact on the health of your chosen person. Describe the kinds of health outcomes that could arise if these two issues are not addressed.

Part 3: Actions that could be taken to improve this person's health literacy 400 words

Identify a health literacy action for each issue (two actions in total) that might improve the health outcome for your chosen person. Explain

why these actions would these be effective and include evidence from the literature to prove these actions work. How would these actions reduce the health inequalities experienced by your chosen population group?

Part 4: Conclusion and reflection on the health literacy needs of this person and population 150 words

Sum up your report by recapping the major points in your discussion; restate the key health literacy needs of your chosen person and population group, including why they are vulnerable. State why the health literacy actions you discussed would be effective in reducing inequalities and improving health outcomes overall.