By Lori McFarland

Background Information:
LTC Resident at St. Josephs of the Pines
44 years old
African American
Single with no children
Father living/Mother passed away

Diagnosis
Idiopathic (no known cause) scoliosis
Paraplegia
Pressure Ulcers

Problem Statement
Mr. Raider (name has been changed to
protect confidentiality) was admitted to St.
Joes after going to the E.R. for a pressure
ulcer due to sitting in soiled briefs for
extended period of time.
Mr. Raider is not ambulatory and requires
assistance with ADLs.

Services
Assistance with ADLs
Provide safe environment

Strengths and Limitations

Mr. Raider displays a good attitude
Mr. Raider is usually in good spirits
Mr. Raider likes to play X-Box and follows
football to keep himself busy.
Mr. Raider is a paraplegic

Assessment, Goals and Interventions

Mr. Raider will participate in ADLs as tolerated and within limits of
safety.
Mr. Raider is at risk for feelings of sadness, anxiety, uneasiness,
and depression. He will show signs that his stress is being
alleviated by such as continued active participation in his rehab
process. He will interact with others and have interest in his
environment. St. Joes will allow him the opportunity and
encourage him to verbalize his feelings about his placement,
missing his friends, not being at home, and feelings of having to
be dependant for his needs. St. Joes will offer validation and
acknowledgment of his moods in our interactions. We will assist
him in identifying progress made and his strengths, offer praise
and support. St. Joes will encourage Mr. Raider to attend
activities of interest.

Assessment Questions
Are you having trouble sleeping?
Are you feeling tired or have little energy?
How is your appetite?
Do you have trouble concentrating on things?
Are you feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?
Do you feel bad about yourself or that you are a
failure or have let yourself or your family down?
Do you have thoughts that you would be better off
dead, or of hurting yourself is some way?

Strengths perspective used in assessment, goals, and

intervention

Social Worker/Patient Questions

Interview biases: Going into the interview, I
had a preconceive notice that this gentleman
would be depressed over his situation;
however, his strength is that he has a good
attitude. Coming out of the interview, I had
no biases affecting my professionalism.
Value differences: There are no value
differences between myself and Mr. Raider.

Social Worker/Patient Questions

Patients life experiences that shaped him: Mr. Raider
had a verbally abusive alcoholic father. His mother
was his strength to keep his head on straight. When
Mr. Raider left home at 18 years old, one day he was
playing basketball with a friend. His friend dropped
dead during the game, and this event changed Mr.
Raiders outlook on life. From that moment on, Mr.
Raider decided to live in the moment because life is
too short.
Mr. Raiders father eventually got sober, and they
have a wonderful relationship today!

Research on Diagnosis
What is scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a spinal
deformity
characterized by
lateral (sideways)
curve of the spine of
10 degrees or more.

Research on Diagnosis
Between 80% and 85% of scoliosis has no known
cause, although there may be some genetic
basis for the condition.
About 1% of cases are infantile idiopathic
scoliosis ( 0-3 years).
10% - 15% are juveniles (4-10 years).
90% are adolescents.
Treatment for scoliosis is one or a combination
of three approaches-monitoring, bracing and
surgery.

 Competency 1.1,1.2,1.3,1.4,1.5
Competency 2.1,2.2,2.4
Competency 3.1,3.2,3.3
Competency 4.1,4.2,4.3,4.4
Competency 5.1,5.2,5.3
Competency 6.1
Competency 7.1,7.2
Competency 8.2
Competency

10.1,10.2,10.4,10.5,10.8,10.10,10.11