Question

AFRICA - Mrs. Sinhle Tau

Mrs. Sinhle Tau is an 80-year-old widow who lives in Marapyane, a rural village in Mpumalanga, a province of South Africa. She has seven surviving children, of whom only one still lives in her area. Mrs. Tau has worked as a subsistence farmer and domestic worker for most of her life. Before her husband died in a motor vehicle accident 12 years ago, he worked in the nearest city, about 30 miles (50 km) away.

Mrs. Tau lives in her own small house. One of her sons and his four children, ages 8 to 18, live with her. The son’s wife has left the family, and the son is HIV positive and has an alcohol problem. He currently has tuberculosis and is on treatment, although he has trouble complying.

Mrs. Tau receives a noncontributory old age pension from the government, and this is almost the only income of the household. Occasionally Mrs. Tau receives small amounts of money from her children who live in the city. Although she tries to do her own housework, Mrs. Tau finds this quite difficult because of her poor health. Therefore, her 15-year old granddaughter has to assist.

Mrs. Tau frequently has severe lower respiratory infections, and she is being treated for hypertension by the registered nurse at the nearest primary care facility. She has little understanding of the implications of hypertension but cannot read or write, so her access to information is limited.

Critical Thinking Questions

1.      Using a family-focused approach, what problems do you think need to be addressed for Mrs. Tau and her family?

2.      How would you structure a program for providing information on HIV to patients such as Mrs. Tau?

Answer 1

Answer: Mrs. Tau and her family need to be addressed regarding the proper maintenance of their health. Mrs. Tau should focus on her health and should get clinically checked. The son is HIV positive and hence any of his children may be also HIV positive. So, they should get blood test done for the HIV. Family should take precautions and should get their blood checked.

The HIV patient have low immunity regarding the disease as the immune system gets weakens. There should not be any kind of blood transfusion by the patient. Patient should be alert and should not be indulged in intimate relationship with others. Because it is sexually transmitted disease.