Cultural compassion in healthcare... who do you see when you look at me?

5. Brothers... Who do you see when you meet us?

Its been a long day, your last home visit is to assess two brothers to evaluate their health needs following one of the brothers falling in the street.

The brothers have been living in the family home for over 60 years. The accommodation is in poor condition, it looks neglected and excessive clutter can be seen everywhere. From the doorway you can see the bathroom and the kitchen both of which look unkept. There are tins of cat food everywhere some of which are open. What is your first impression?

After you have introduced yourself you start to undertake a health needs assessment of each individual.

During the assessment you find out that one of the brothers has type II diabetes which is not well controlled, he has limited mobility and does not go outside.

The other brother is generally in good health except for his cough and intermittent shortness of breath, he is his brothers main carer, does the shopping when he can and is a smoker.

Both brothers appear to be socially isolated. They have no family or friends living close by.

1. For more information listen to the brothers comments.
Brother A - An illustration of first brother sitting in armchair in messy bedsit reading. The informal carer as a relative - an image of relative as a carer sitting.
2. Using the picture as a reflection, what are the brothers underlying concerns.
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Illustration of the two brothers siting in their bedsit.

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