Age: 81 years old
Occupation: Housewife
Marital Status: Widowed
Children: Two Sons, Two Daughters
Mrs Fernandes is a British Indian born in Kenya. She and her family moved to England in 1968
shortly following Kenya’s independence. She now resides with her 50 year old son, a professional accountant in London who himself suffers from muscular dystrophy. May can read and write English but does not have a strong grasp of the language. Her formal education ended at age 15 when she married her late husband and started a family. For the past eight years, she has suffered from particularly poor health, with much of her time spent in and out of hospital. Because of her ill health she is unable to care for herself however she refuses to move to a care home. Due to a number of factors she is highly suspicious of strangers almost to the point of paranoia. She does not enjoy socialising very much although loneliness is not a concern. Her deportation from kenya and medication may contribute significantly to this mentality. As such she spends a great deal of time on her own tHobbies: Mrs Fernandez watches a great deal of TV, however this serves mainly to pass time. She greatly enjoys spending time with her eight grandchildren however they are usually busy with other activities. Until a few years ago, Daphne took great pleasure I cooking and gardening but her poor health and mobility make this task very difficult. She also used to
Behaviour: Mrs Fernandez is a ‘difficult’ and confrontational lady who consistently craves attention from her family. We can speculate that this can be attributed to an absence of productive or enjoyable activities to occupy her time. Her typical week day is spent watching TV on her own while her son is working. In the evenings she may spend some time with her grandchildren if they are available or simply watch more TV. She has little or no interest in reading or socialising during this time. At the weekends she will spend time with family and attend church.
Health Condition: Mrs Fernandes is generally in poor health which keeps her housebound. She finds it very difficult to even climb the stairs in her house or even walk.
A Day in her Life: May’s routine has become highly repetitive since the deterioration of her health. She wakes at 9am, dresses and bathes upstairs then goes downstairs with much difficulty. She will eat her breakfast, usually consisting of porridge then plan her day based on her TV guide. Occasionally she has an afternoon nap after her favourite TV shows. At some point she will eat her lunch which will normally consist of leftovers or a very simple sandwich that she can make herself. If she has the energy, may will attempt to do some work around the house such as cooking or cleaning but this is not always possible. In the evenings she will eat dinner that her son usually prepares after work and her other family may visit for an hour or two. May retires to bed around 9pm.
