Scenario 2 – LO2 Task 2 Sandra was very close to her husband. They had been childhood sweethearts and had been best friends all of their lives. When her husband, Mike, died at 45 of a sudden and unexpected heart attack, Sandra felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She cried and screamed when the doctor told her that they had done everything possible, but he had not survived. How could she go on with her life? Sandra sat in her home in stunned silence. She had two children to take care of, all by herself now. Priscilla and Shirley were only toddlers and did not really understand what was happening or why their father was not home. They happily watched the television while their Page 9 of 12 ******** sat staring into space. Sandra and Mike's families were trying to help her as much as they could, but at the end of the day, she was left to herself in her now empty bed. Sandra would wake in the middle of the night, reaching for her beloved husband, only to find his side of the bed empty. She cried herself to sleep every night for a week. Sandra had to take care of her husband's estate and all of the legal issues that accompanied the death of a spouse. Unfortunately, she could not just crawl into a hole and forget about life for a while. She had her children to take care of and raise as a single ******** now. Sandra’s sister suggested was a social worker and suggested she might benefit from seeing a bereavement counsellor. Sandra was quick to take up the suggestion as she felt that her friends were sick of hearing about her despair, and yet she really wasn’t ready to stop despairing. She needed to talk about Sandra, she needed to talk about her grief, she needed to cry. Sandra met her grief counsellor, Rebecca, for the first time about three weeks after Sandra’s death and she continued to see her, each week, for about 2 months. During this time, Sandra’s sleeping patterns calmed down, and she gradually became used to sleeping in her bed alone. While it took her a long time to feel normal in a social situation, she found she was able to find joy in her children and even go out with friends for dinner now and again. Sandra continued to touch base with Rebecca on an intermittent basis for about 18 months. After about a year, and with Rebecca’s encouragement, Sandra was finally able to clear Mike's clothes from their home. This was symbolically momentous for Sandra as it helped to bring her a sense of closure. Sandra gave away many of Mike’s things to his brothers or to charities for people who might need them more than she did now. Sandra found that eventually she could look back on her life with Mike with happiness and wistfulness at what she had lost and what might have been. Sandra found that seeing a grief counsellor within a few weeks after losing Mike really assisted her to overcome the initial shock, and adjust herself to a new life without him. Sandra found grief counselling valuable because it gave her an opportunity to reveal her emotions and talk about her loss in an environment separate to her family and friends. In the counselling room, Sandra felt able to talk freely about her fears of a life without Mike – fears for her children, fears about financial insecurity, fears about loneliness. Rebecca listened with empathy and without judgment. She helped Sandra to make sense of her emotions and gave her practical advice, as well as emotional support, to help her find a way forward. Using the above Case Scenario to write your report of 1,000 words covering learning outcomes (LO2.1, 2.2 & 2.3) Please consider the following in your answer LO2 Understand the support available for individuals experiencing significant life events ? Evaluate the effectiveness of organizational policies and procedures in supporting individuals and their social networks affected by significant life events Page 10 of 12 ? Explain how others in social networks may provide support to individuals experiencing significant life events ? Evaluate the suitability of external sources of support for those affected by significant life events Task 2 Opportunity to achieve M1, M2, D1, D2 & D3 For M1: To achieve M1 you must demonstrate that you have looked at various organisational policies and Procedures in supporting individuals with significant life events, identify and explain the social networks affected by significant life events, and be able to evaluate the effectiveness of organizational policies and procedures in supporting individuals (Task 1, 2 & 3). For M2: A range of relevant sources of information is used. Range in this context means range in quantity and variety. At this level, you should cite and refer to 5 or more resources (for task 2) from a variety of sources including books, Internet, journals, etc. Harvard referencing format has been correctly and consistently applied in both citations and the reference list (Task 1, 2 & 3). For M3: Essay is well structured and logically presented (Task 1, 2 & 3). For D1: Identify the likely changes that you foresee in 5 years’ time that may affect social networks supporting individuals with significant life events and make recommendations for improving the support available in a health and social care organization for individuals and their social networks when affected by significant life events (Task 1, 2 & 3).