Aging and Diversity Discussion
Lidia Sanchez moved to the United States from Guatemala when she was 20 years old. She and her husband have 2 children who are in high school. As a child in Guatemala, Lidia’s grandmother raised her. In the U.S., when Lidia needed to work outside of the home, her grandmother came to live with Lidia to help with the children. Lidia loves and respects her grandmother tremendously and she has been a wonderful help with the children. Recently, Lidia has noted some small changes around the house. Dishes that used to be washed spotless and are sometimes now placed back in the cupboard dirty. Her grandmother sometimes wears clothing that is stained. At their large family dinners, her grandmother often sits quietly and sometimes even leaves dinner early. Last weekend, when Lidia’s son had a bad cough, Lidia’s grandmother almost gave him an amount of cough syrup that was twice the required dose. Lidia is worried about her grandmother and isn’t sure what to do about these behaviors.
In your post please discuss:
- Which sensory systems may be affected by age-related changes for Lidia’s grandmother?
- What accommodations may be available for her?
- What suggestions do you have for Lidia?
- Would your suggestions change if Lidia’s grandmother were from a different cultural group? If so, in what way?
