Case Study 3:

Lucia, Elena, and Dr. Bhandari

Hannah, the school counselor at Cargill Academy, volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. There she met Lucia, age 32, and her husband Martin, who are also volunteers. Hannah and Lucia have become friends.

Lucia’s grandmother Elena had come to live with Lucia and Martin about five years before, when Elena’s husband died. Lucia has expressed concern to Hannah about Elena having gotten lost coming home from the daily walks to the park that she so enjoyed. On one occasion, Martin and Lucia had gone to look for Elena and found her two miles away walking in the grocery store parking lot. On another occasion, the police had found Elena wandering and had asked around to find out where Elena lived. Lucia and Martin were alarmed when the police brought her home. They are concerned about the possibility of Alzheimer’s disease and are afraid to leave Elena home alone.

Hannah referred Lucia to Dr. Bhandari, a specialist in aging and memory.

Once Elena learned her granddaughter was planning to take her to the doctor, she was very upset because she hadn’t been consulted first. Also, Elena didn’t have any bothersome symptoms and decided there was no reason a doctor needed to see her. She felt that all she needed was more sleep.

Lucia and Elena arrived at the doctor’s office and the nurse brought them back to the examination room. Elena was displeased, but allowed the nurse to take her weight, pulse, and blood pressure. Once the nurse was finished, she left the room and Dr. Bhandari came in. When Dr. Bhandari realized that Elena did not understand much English, she turned and spoke directly to Lucia. Lucia struggled a bit in understanding what Dr. Bhandari was saying as she spoke with a thick Indian accent. She did understand enough to know that she wanted to order some tests for Elena. Neither of them explained the tests to Elena. Elena was furious and wanted to go home.

Consider the individual, family, cultural beliefs and expectations, and ethical issues the individuals must think about as the people in the case interact with each other. Consider the medical professionals’ roles with the patient.

This is the first component of your course project. For this assignment, you will demonstrate your ability to apply psychological principles and research findings to a situation related to culture, ethnicity, and diversity.

Note: In this assignment, you begin your project work on the case study that you chose in the Week 2 discussion. You will use this case throughout your course project.

Instructions

After completing the assignment preparation study in Week 2, write a 6–8-page paper in which you examine three main areas as they relate to the specific case you have selected:

• Theory: Application of theory to the specific case.
• Research: Understanding of research methods and application of findings.
• Cultural Competence: Knowledge and application of cultural competency skills.

Theory

1. Select a minimum of two theories that are relevant to the case you chose. The theories should help explain concerns for the client, such as developmental or contextual issues. Analyze how those psychological theories point toward potential solutions for a problem.
   • Of the theories you select, make sure that at least one provides a framework for understanding the cultural issues between the individuals in the case.
2. Explain how these theories help us to understand the individual client or patient in the case and how they can direct the professionals in the case to a potential solution.
   • Note that theory can help us understand where the individual (client or patient) is in her development. For example, psychosocial theory would help explain individual development, or ecological systems theory would help explain the impact of environmental interaction on the individual.

Research

1. Select two original research studies that help us understand the situation in the case you selected and potentially lead to interventions in the case.
   • Cite the research studies, using APA style.
2. Explain the research design and methods used in the research studies. What type of research was conducted, who was studied, and how?
3. Describe the researchers’ findings.
4. Next, explain how the findings in the studies relate to the case you selected. How do these findings help us formulate a potential solution/intervention in the case?

Cultural Competency

1. Use a model of cultural competency to explain the competencies needed for working in a culturally diverse environment.
2. Apply those cultural competencies to assist the professional in the case to help resolve a particular culture-related issue.
3. Construct a plan to develop your own professional cultural sensitivity. (For this section you may write in first person).
   • Explain how the guidelines you developed for the professional will help guide you in your future work as a professional.
   • Discuss some steps you could take to further your own growth in cultural competencies.

Note: Be sure you review the scoring guide to understand how you will be graded. Work toward the distinguished level for each scoring guide criterion.

You can use the APA Paper Template to ensure that you are formatting your paper from title page through references page according to APA guidelines.

Submission Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• Written communication: Written communication is free from errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA format: Comply with current APA Style and Format.
• Number of resources: A minimum of five academic resources. Two of those must be original research studies. The other sources will support your basis in theory and cultural competency.
• Length of paper: 6–8 typed, double-spaced pages, in addition to the title page and references page.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.