George did not see his mother, Mrs. Garry much in the last year of her illness. Even when she was admitted to hospital, she did not inform him that she was dying of bowel cancer because she did not want to upset him. George knew that his mother was seriously ill, but having a young family of his own and living a considerable distance away meant that time simply passed him by quickly. Before long, he realized that he has not seen his mother for six months or so and when he found out that she was in the hospital, he felt extremely guilty and blamed himself. When George did get the phone that his mother was hospitalized, he took leave from his job and travelled up to be with her. The doctor said that she had only a short time left and her son spent every minute he could with her, trying to make up for lost time and proving to her that he loved her especially as he was her only child. The days preceding Mrs. Garry's death was really stressful and challenging for George because he had no experience in supporting a dying individual and he did not know how to balance this with his young family. He was frightened that he would lose his mother, he was concerned that he could not be there for his family and he was becoming agitated of what happens 'afterwards.' Unfortunately, the hospital setting was too busy to take notice of his situation so, no support was provided. He soon joined some families in the hospital setting experiencing similar situation. As Mrs. Garry nears the end she lost interest in eating and drinking. Her son sat by her bedside; deeply distressed as his mother's breathing became more labored. He quickly called the nurse who came in and said to him "I am afraid this is normal and I don't think she will pull through" She then left the room before Mrs. Garry breathed her last. When Mrs. Garry died, her son has gained some experience from the support group. Thus he sought the help of palliative care team to visit the school where his mother had been a teacher in order to fulfill his mother's dying wishes. The group supported George to speak to the pupils about Mrs. Garry's condition and the type of treatment she received. The Parents and other school staff were involved in the decision enlightened the pupils. The pupils were not distraught but asked reasonable and intelligent questions pertaining to Mrs. Garry's illness and subsequent death. Mrs. Garry's students raised over £300 for her requested charity and George ensured that all his mother's wishes were respected. ASSIGNMENT Write an essay on the basis of the case study above to address Task 1, 2 and Task 3 Task 1: Description of problem to be solved This task requires you to understand how significant life events such as dying and bereavement impact on individuals and their social networks. You could use the context of the case study mentioned above and your work place in health and social care to deal with the tasks. Explain the physical, psychological and social impact of bereavement on individuals (that is; the bereaved person). Analyse possible group responses to bereavement. Analyse the impact for others in health and social care when an individual is bereaved. Task 2: Description of problem to be solved: This task requires you to understand the support available for individuals experiencing significant life events such as bereavement. Evaluate the effectiveness of organisational policies and procedures of supporting bereaved individuals e.g. Mrs Garry and their social networks. Explain how others in social networks may provide support to bereaved individuals Evaluate the suitability of external sources of support available for bereaved individuals. Based on Personal reflection of your own experiences within health and social care and the case study provided. Due to its practice-based requirements; these criteria will also be covered with the Integrated Unit of PPD Description of problem to be solved This task requires you to be able to analyse responses made by health and social care services to support individuals experiencing significant life events. Analyse possible organisational responses to the need to support individuals experiencing a significant life event. As a health and social care professional, reflect on your own personal contributions to the support of individuals experiencing significant life events such as bereavement. (You must use your own personal experience to pass this assessment criterion) Make recommendations for improving the support available in a Care Home for residents and their social networks when affected by significant life events such as bereavement.