Assignment

1. Find out if your interviewee has experienced the issue, or if they expect to in the future

2. Gather information about your interviewee's thoughts and feelings regarding the issue

3. Identify possible solutions or courses of action the interview and their family could employ to address the issue

For each case study you will write a 3-4 page paper summarizing your interview and reflecting on your interviewee's responses in light of the course material. You must use these papers to show me that you understand the course material and can compare/contrast your interviewee's responses with what we discuss or read for class.

Your interviewees do not actually have to be facing the issue under discussion, although that would be great. They just need to be able to discuss it. Do not interview the same person for more than 2 of these case studies.

A Complete assignment will satisfy all the elements of the assignment rubric.

GUIDE

Case Study 4 vignette

Karen is a 64-year-old woman who never married and has made the choice to remain childless. She is a successful businesswoman, the owner of her own business and a board member for several local nonprofit organizations. She is active in her church as well as with the Abilene Woman's Club.

Karen was born and raised in Abilene, attended ACU, and has many old friends who also still live here. Her parents have died, but she has an older brother (68) who lives with his wife in Plano, TX, and a younger sister (62) who is widowed and who moved to Houston in 2016 to be near her grandchildren. Karen has always doted on her nieces and nephews, giving them gifts at every birthday and Christmas; she especially enjoyed taking her nieces clothes shopping when they were middle school and high school age. She always loved to think of herself as "the fun aunt."

Now Karen has great-nieces and great-nephews, and she thoroughly enjoys visiting with them when she can and blessing them with gifts as well.

This month Karen visited her doctor because she was concerned about tremors in one of her hands. After a lengthy interview, her doctor told her that the diagnosis is likely Parkinson's disease. He gave her some information about the disease, and Karen has started doing her own research.

Here are some questions to get your interview started. You are not required to use them:

Has anything like this happened in your family? Are there members of your family who have been childless into later life? How did they manage their needs for support and care?

What do you think Karen ought to do so that she gets the care and support she will need? What advice would you have for Karen?

How does Karen's situation differ from what is usual for someone of her age?