1. Running head: CASE INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT
Case Interview Assessment
Bianca Butler
Ferris State University
2. CASE INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT
Module I
I had the pleasure of interviewing WilliamGreen. Mr. Green was born and raised in
Detroit, Michigan. Mr. Green was born on March 8, 1948 at Henry Ford Hospital. Mr. Green has
three other siblings. He is also the middle child. He went to Maybury Elementary School and
graduated in 1965 from Central High in Detroit. Mr. Green’s highest level of education is a high
school diploma; he never had the opportunity to go off to college. I asked Mr. Green what type
of illnesses he has. He states, “Oh, goodness, I suffer from depression.” have diabetes, kidney
failure, high blood pressure and heart failure.” I also asked Mr. Green what his first job was. He
stated, “That was so long ago. I believed my first job was when I was 16 years old at a
neighborhood youth group facility.” The next question I asked Mr. Green was how many times
he was married and how many children he had. Mr. Green stated that he has been married only
once to Tonya Green for 25 years and they have a total of eight children together, three boys
and five girls. I also asked Mr. Green whether anyone close to him has died recently. He stated,
“My uncle Cornell Sampson on my mother’s side. I took the death very hard because me and
my uncle were close. We did everything together; he was like a second father to me.”
I asked Mr. Green what his earliest memory of his house was. He stated that he
remembers the house being white with the paint chipping on the outside and a fence around
the house. He also remembers that there were a total of four bedrooms and that he had to
share his room with his younger brother, named Lonnie. The next questions I asked Mr. Green
were what his earliest memories of food were, what types of toys and games he played with
and how often he traveled. Mr. Green replied by saying, “I remember always eating soul food,
3. CASE INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT
greens, cornbread, black-eyed peas, neck bones, chitlings, sweet potato pie and Twinkies. My
favorite game growing up was Monopoly. I loved this game because it was fun, I got a chance to
buy property, I learned things that I didn’t know and it works your brain. I never really did
travel; I always stayed at home and played. I really didn’t have the luxury of going out of town.”
The next question I asked Mr. Green was about his health resources and what health
resources are available to him. Mr. Green replied by saying he has Altercare of Big Rapids
Center, orthopedic care, Big Rapids Hospital and Home Health Care all available to him. The
next question I asked was what type of health insurance he currently has. Mr. Green replied, “I
currently have the Meridian Health Plan.” Then I asked how he gets back and forth to his
doctor’s appointments. Mr. Green stated that “I get back and forth to my doctor’s
appointments by my wife, Tonya. Tonya brings me to my appointments and sits there and waits
until I get finished.” I then asked what type of prescription coverage Meridian has. Mr. Green
stated that “Meridian covers prescription drugs and some over-the-counter drugs as well. I also
do not have any co-pays to pay when I pick up my prescriptions.” The next question that I asked
Mr. Green was who his primary care medical provider was and if he had a dental plan. Mr.
Green responded by saying, “My primary care medical provider is Dr. Howard Mahabeer. He is
located in Reed City. I have been going to him for the past ten years. Yes I have dental care. I go
to the clinic right here in Big Rapids, but I cannot think of my dentist’s name at the moment.”
I then proceeded to ask Mr. Green what type of diagnostic tests were done on him. Mr.
Green responded by saying, “I got my blood and urine tested to see if I had kidney disease
because my side of the family has a history of high blood pressure and diabetes. I go to Grand
4. CASE INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT
Rapids three times a week for my dialysis. I got my blood glucose tested to also see if I had
diabetes because I know it runs in my side of the family. I have type two diabetes and I must
take my pills every day and check my glucose.” For my heart failure my doctor had to do several
tests: a chest x-ray, EKG and a brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) test.” For my high blood
pressure, the doctors just measured how high my blood pressure was and put me on some
medications.” Next I asked Mr. Green if he had any medical specialists that he sees. Mr. Green
stated that he sees a specialist in Grand Rapids named Dr. Sherman. He also sees a doctor right
here in Big Rapids for his foot and doctor Adams, a heart specialist in Cadillac, for his heart
failure.
Next I asked Mr. Green how old his parents, grandparents, and siblings are or were
when they died, their levels of independent functioning currently or at their times of death,
significant illnesses and the causes of their deaths. “My father passed away at the age of 80. He
was pretty independent his whole life. He ended up dying from having a stroke. My father
didn’t suffer from any illnesses, but he did have diabetes and high blood pressure.” He added,
“my mother passed away at 83 from breast cancer, unfortunately. She sometimes would have
someone come over to help with the house chores because she sometimes would be too weak
or sick to do it herself. All of my siblings are still alive. My brother has diabetes, one of my
sisters suffers from dementia, while my other sister suffers from high blood pressure and
diabetes.”
Then I proceeded to ask Mr. Green about his past illnesses, diseases and injuries,
approximate dates of when they occurred and any lasting effects. Mr. Green replied by saying,
5. CASE INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT
“I suffered with depression and a little bit of memory loss.” When I asked about his depression,
he said, “I first found out I suffered from depression about 20 years ago when my uncle passed
away. I felt sad for so long because we were so close and I took his death real hard. I would
have to say my depression has gotten better over the years. I managed to cope with it because I
know he’s in a better place.” I asked him to elaborate on his memory loss, and he told me, “I
sometimes cannot remember where I put things. Some days my memory is better than other
days.” When I asked about any diseases he has, he replied, “Some diseases that I do have are
kidney failure, diabetes, heart failure and high blood pressure.” His past injuries include two
injuries in his arm and a cracked rib. He goes to see Doctor Sherman in Grand Rapids to help
him improve the use of his arm. I asked Mr. Green about his diabetes, and was told, “I was
diagnosed with diabetes 20 years ago. One effect that I have from having diabetes is that
sometimes my vision is a little bit blurry.” When I asked about his other diseases, he said, “I
was diagnosed with kidney failure and high blood pressure six years ago. I often feel weak from
dialysis. I then was diagnosed with heart failure last year. I often feel tired, have shortness of
breath at times and have some swelling in my ankles and feet.”
Module II
Next I asked Mr. Green how good his senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch are
and whether he uses any adaptive equipment and if so, how satisfied he is with it. Mr. Green
told me that he does use adaptive equipment. He explained, “my hearing seems to be a little
off at times. I sometimes have to have people repeat what they said two or three times before I
can answer the question. For my sight, I wear glasses when I want to read the newspaper.” He
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told me that his sense of taste is okay, but he sometimes has to put extra seasoning in his food
in order to taste it. When asked about any other pain or discomfort he experiences, Mr. Green
said, “I sometimes feel pain in my legs and ribs because of my leg cramps and because I have a
cracked rib.” However, he also stated that all of his needs are met. “I can fix my own meals by
myself, get dress by myself and go for walks by myself. I have no problem with bathing myself. I
managed to go to the bathroom by myself.”
Module III
I asked Mr. Green about his sleep history and asked him whether he uses any aids and if
so, whether he was satisfied with them. Mr. Green responded that there are no aids he
currently uses to help him get to sleep. Then I asked Mr. Green whether there have been any
changes in his sleep pattern and if so, what the contributing factors are. Mr. Green replied, “no,
I sleep pretty good throughout the night.” I then proceeded to ask Mr. Green how his daily
cognition needs are met, about unmet needs, losses and coping methods. Mr. Green stated, “I
watch the ‘Price is Right’ I get my brain a going by guessing how much the object is. One coping
method that I use would be writing a list of things I need to get done for the day. It helps jog my
memory more.”
Module IV
Next I asked Mr. Green whether he has any heart and circulatory health problems and
related treatments or functional limits and whether all his needs are met. Mr. Green stated,
“yes I have heart failure. When I was diagnosed with heart failure last year, I had to eat well,
follow a healthy lifestyle and take my prescribed medication. Some functional limits that I have
7. CASE INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT
with heart failure are that I have to limit the fluids that I drink and weigh myself each day. Yes,
all of my needs are met.” I then asked Mr. Green whether he experiencesanybreathing
problems and related treatments or functional limits. I asked whether all his needs are met. He
replied by saying, “I have an oxygen tank that I sleep with at night. I need the extra oxygen so I
can breathe. One functional limit that I do have is not being able to breathe properly on my
own at night.” However, he feels that he has everything he needs.
Module V
The next set of questions I asked Mr. Green was about dentition, nutrition, urination,
and changes in sexual functioning. I asked Mr. Green how many natural teeth he has and
whether he has any problems chewing and is satisfied with his eating and tasting. He stated
that he has most of his natural teeth left and that he doesn’t have a problem with chewing his
food and is satisfied with his eating ability, but not so much with his tasting ability because he
has to put extra seasoning in his food. I then asked Mr. Green whether he maintains a
consistent body weight, has difficulty in buying, preparing, or eating food, and whether all his
needs are met. He replied by saying, “yes I have a pretty good body weight. At times it can go
up and down. No, I do not have difficulty buying, preparing or eating food. Me and my wife
both buy and cook food. I would have to say that all of my needs are met.” Then I proceeded to
asked Mr. Green whether he had any urination issues, such as incontinence, nocturia,
retention, or lessened kidney function and whether he uses any adaptive equipment or
incontinence products used and whether all his needs are being met. Mr. Green answered, “I
haven’t urinated in over a year. I don’t have any excessive urination because I cannot urinate.
8. CASE INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT
One of my kidneys is failing, but the other one is fine.” Mr. Green really didn’t go into detail as
to why he couldn’t urinate. He also didn’t state whether or not he used any adaptive
equipment or incontinence products. The last question I asked Mr. Green was how he
expresses affection to others in their lives, whether he is satisfied by his current level of
personal sharing and affection with others. Mr. Green replied by saying, “I tell my wife and
children that I love them every day. I shower them with love and affection to show them how
much I love them. Yes, I am satisfied because I get along with pretty much anybody.”
Module VI
At this time I thanked Mr. Green for the interview and asked if he wanted a copy of the
written assignment. He did not respond to this question. Before the assignment Mr. Green and
I were acquaintances through my older sister, so I plan to see him again in the near future.
Personal Reflection
Before the interview, I felt distracted the night before because I didn’t get a full eight
hours of sleep. The morning of the interview I felt hungry, but didn’t have time to make myself
breakfast. I could feel the hunger taking over and I wasn’t as focused as I wanted to be. During
the interview I felt nervous and the reason I felt like this was because I wanted everything to go
according to plan. Some of my observations of the interviewee and his surroundings were that I
noticed that Mr. Green seemed to have insomnia; he had trouble getting to sleep for the past
couple of nights. He seemed to experience some leg cramps and feelings of fatigue as well. I
also observed that Mr. Green seemed to struggle with some memory loss as well, and he
seemed to struggle with some hearing loss. As I noticed the surroundings around Mr. Green’s
9. CASE INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT
home, I noticed that there was plastic on the couch, some of his things all cluttered together,
and rugs on the floor which could possibly make Mr. Green fall. My comfort level during the
interview was at a seven out of ten because, like I said, beforehand, I felt nervous and a little
anxious all at the same time. One thing that I was missing in preparation for this assignment
was something to write with. A couple of things that I would do differently the next time I have
to interview an older adult is to make sure that I eat breakfast before going to the interview,
get a good night’s sleep and bring a pen to write with.
