Pearle Part 2 Reflective Exercises
Understanding people's behaviour and decision making
Our behaviours evolve over a life span and are influenced by many of the wider determinants of health including housing, income and environment [3] For someone who does not work and is socially isolated their home is one of their only comforts and should be a safe and pleasant environment to be in. However for many the quality and maintenance of their housing all too often falls outside of their control and may have catastrophic influences on their health and wellbeing both physically and mentally. [1-5] People who are vulnerable in this way may lack the confidence and ability to change their situations and opportunities to do so are often limited. Even with limited chance to make improvements to such scenarios familiarity with surroundings is a comfort to people and often compensates for poor living standards.
Food and warmth are considered to be two of life's essentials, yet some on limited fixed incomes find themselves having to make a choice between heating and eating. Living in cold homes and poor nutrition are both widely recognised to negatively impact on health and as people age this impact gets worse.
The attitudes and values people hold develop over time according to their experiences and social interactions. People in later life sometimes don't like to make a fuss or draw attention to the mselves. Values such as protecting privacy and independence, and being seen to cope may be of high importance to them, even though underneath they are frightened and anxious about what the next day will bring.
Part 2 Question 1
Reflections on Question 1
- Protecting privacy and frightened to let others know she is struggling
- Lonely and socially isolated
- Struggling to manage the transition to being a widow
- Out of touch with new technology such as the central heating
- Use of supplementary heating rather than the central heating system
- Frugal and doesn't like spending money on herself.
People like Pearle have become socially isolated and don’t want their family and friends to know they can’t cope. Pearle really only needed the company of her husband and family. Now he is dead, she sees few people. Many older people don't like to let others see they are struggling to cope in case their independence is threatened so they avoid conversations about themselves when out and about. Some people fear that others will see they aren't coping and may pry into their affairs or give unwanted advice. People like Pearle may not be aware that being cold can have a negative impact on their health and wellbeing.
Without social contact it is difficult for people like Pearle to update their knowledge of how the heating system works; the cheapest way to heat the house and pay fuel bills. Because she is scared of big bills and doesn't like spending money on herself she relies on electric heaters. It is a common myth that supplementary heating is cheaper than central heating.
Some older people are happy to go without if it means that they will have more money to leave to their children. They don’t want to be a bother to their children and therefore wouldn’t ask for help or advice about how to use the heating or pay the bills.