Sandra feels helpless, confused and wants the best for all of her children. As advocates, we would interview her in two parts; in a calm setting outside of the home where she can relax and talk with us and inside the home on a typical day so that we can observe the routine and family dynamics. Below are the questions we feel are important to understand and address.
| |Lead Question From Assignment |Category |Questions |
|1. |What do you want to learn from her? |Sandra |What kind of help does she think she needs? Where does she want |
| | | |help? What are her immediate issues? What approaches has she taken|
| | | |to date? |
| | | |Her current support system: who can help her? How often? What |
| | | |areas can they help? How reliable are they? Where do they live? |
| | | |Are expectations reasonable? We would like to speak with them (or |
| | | |observe in the home). |
| | |Medical |What is her understanding of the medical situation? Does she grasp|
| | | |what’s going on? Do the children have a pediatrician or PCP? Can |
| | | |she provide a list of the physicians and other health care |
| | | |providers, e.g., OT, PT, speech therapist, that her son sees on a |
| | | |regular basis? What’s the communication with the PCP? Is she |
| | | |satisfied with it? What’s her understanding of her son’s plan of |
| | | |care? Tell us about the seizures, how frequent/ how long do they |
| | | |last, what happens, is he aware at the onset? |
| | |Daily Routine |What is a typical day or week like? |
| | |Medication |Talk with pharmacist, and or physician: are there resources to |
| | | |assist with paying for this expensive drug? Who was the one that |
| | | |told her Mark needed an expensive drug? If so, are trials an |
| | | |option? Some drug companies subsidize expensive meds, but have |
| | | |less expensive alternatives been explored? Insurance companies |
| | | |often fund “first line” medications but later agree to cover the |
| |