John is a 48yr old male who has recently moved to residential care: Family Analysis Assignment, UOL, Ireland

Case Study

John is a 48yr old male who has recently moved to residential care in an intellectual disability service. John has Downs Syndrome and has attended the day service in this organisation since his late teens. John’s parents were both older- his mother Joan is 89 years and his father Frank died last year at the age of 90 years John talks about his father frequently, referring to him as the “boss” who would help him shave every morning and choose his clothes, and would drive him to the day service.

His mother Joan was very reluctant regarding John moving into residential care, but agreed it was the best thing for him as she cannot do as much for him as she and her late husband could in the past- she never learnt to drive. Joan visits at least once per week and John phones her every evening- he also usually goes home for one overnight at the weekend, where he especially enjoys being in charge of the TV remote control. John usually asks his mother to bring him clean clothes and things he likes to eat when she visits him. John says his mother is a great cook and the house is “spick and span”.

John has two older siblings. His elder sister Maria (51 years) is divorced and has one adult child, Sarah (25 years). John sometimes refers to Maria’s ex- husbandEddie as being a “hard man”, though John also enjoyed going to soccer matches with him and misses this, since Maria separated from Eddie. Sarah who lives at home has recently “come out” as being gay- her partner Celine has been known as Sarah’s friend to all the family for many years, and they now all say that they always knew there was something going on between them.

John really likes Celine, who has recently moved in with Sarah; she had helped him set up an Instagram and a Facebook page. Maria says that her parents had John spoilt as they always thought they would be there to look after him-Joan still refers to John as the “little fella” . Maria works fulltime outside the home and says she would have liked to have John living with her and believes her mother expected this and is disappointed but will not say anything.

Question:

(1)Briefly outline one theoretical perspective in Family Studies, for example, functionalism, feminism, Marxism, and how this theoretical perspective is relevant to the case example.

(2)  As a keyworker, outline the key aspects of an intervention for this service user(s) which you would develop in partnership with the service user(s) and their family/ support systems.

A intervention should include the rationale for the intervention; the goals of the intervention and how it will be achieved; who is responsible for implementing.