Pearle Part 1 Reflective Exercise
Identifying people at risk
In Part 1 we would like you to consider what factors put people like Pearle at risk of being cold at home.
As we get older there are many things that influence our health. The situations we live in and the context of our lives all impact upon our health and this worsens as we become frailer. Sometimes getting through the day is harder because of illness, poor mobility and failing eyesight. However, it is sometimes a lack of information and understanding which makes life more challenging. You may want to consider how people in the pen portraits will have been affected by changes to domestic life and the household during their lifespan and how this influences their behaviour.
Remember you can go back if you would like to play the video again or you can download the transcript.
Part 1 Question 1
Reflections on Question 1
You have probably identified the following things that put people like Pearle at risk of being cold in their home:
- Living in a big house on her own
- Recently bereaved and lonely
- New central heating system with controls that are difficult to understand and reach
- Valuing privacy and not wanting to make a fuss
- Relying on supplementary heating methods e.g. electric fire
For some older people, sudden changes in their life have huge implications on how they get through the day. For people like Pearle, her sudden bereavement has shaken her world. She is lonely and misses her husband. Also she relied on her husband for many things in terms of managing money and making decisions. She is struggling to understand the things she used to leave to him to work out such as how long to have the heating on for and how much it will cost to do that.
Sadness and loneliness, added to a lack of money and technical knowledge mean Pearle is starting to feel out of control. She is making decisions she thinks are sensible as they will save money and likes to think she will be able to leave more money to her family.