Carla Washburn is a 76-year-old Black woman who has been widowed for twenty years. She lives alone in Plainville, a small town in the Northwest . Mrs. Washburn’s community is aging, both in physical housing stock and, especially, in demographics, as many young people have moved to larger cities closer to mountains and the coast. Mrs. Washburn worked for years as an administrative assistant in the school district in Plainville, but since her retirement, she has been saddened to see schools close as enrollments decline. Most of the working-age residents of the community today commute to larger cities for work, although there are some residents who moved to Plainville during the pandemic and work from home for larger companies located elsewhere. Carla’s husband spent his career working for paper mills in and around Plainville, all of which have closed. Carla receives a small pension from the school district and Social Security; however, as she spent several years only informally employed, while her son was young, her benefits are meager.
A few years ago, Mrs. Washburn lost her grandson, whom she had been raising since he was eight, to an active-duty military casualty. This loss followed earlier losses in Mrs. Washburn’s life—her husband, and then her son and daughter-in-law, who were killed in a car accident. While she was caring for her grandson, of whom she had full custody, Ms. Washburn was able to collect survivor benefits; however, the expenses of raising an active child consumed many of her physical, emotional, and financial resources for years.
During the time that Roland Jr. lived with her, Mrs. Washburn threw herself into his care and activities. She found that she had nothing much in common with her old friends, because they had raised all their children and had more freedom to socialize than she did. Eventually, these friends mostly dropped out of her life.
Roland Jr. decided to join the Army after his high school graduation, to get money to pay for college. Shortly after finishing basic training, he married a young woman, Alice, who he met while at the Army base in North Carolina. Carla traveled to North Carolina to attend the wedding. Although she liked her grandson's new bride, she really did not know her. And when Roland Jr. was killed, the Army focused its family outreach services on the young widow.
Although Carla and her sister spoke weekly by phone for the last fifteen years and have had a close relationship throughout their lives, Carla has made no attempt to contact Anna since Roland Jr.'s funeral eight months ago. When Anna called, Carla questioned over and over how it could be that both her son and grandson were no longer alive while she, an old woman, still lived. Anna has informed you that her sister told her of a recent fall she had had in her home that has made walking difficult, particularly as her diabetes also complicates her health.
When you contacted Ms. Washburn, she refused at first to have you visit and expressed irritation with her sister for contacting the AAA. However, when you explained how worried her sister had been and how Carla could ease her sister's concern if she would consent to a visit, Carla finally agreed to see you. However, she is adamant that she neither wants nor needs help.
James Smith is the new pastor of the predominantly African-American Bethel AME Church. Relatively new to the region, he is very interested in meeting the membership and building church programming to accommodate their needs.
Like Mrs. Washburn, Loretta Minor has been widowed for many years. The two women initially met when their sons played football together. They have remained friends, and Mrs. Minor was very supportive through the deaths of Carla's husband, son, and grandson. They continue to see each other at church and in the grocery store, and occasionally Loretta drops in on Mrs. Washburn; however, they have not had as much contact in the past few years.
Like Mrs. Washburn, William and Luella Jackson are also serving as guardians to a grandchild (Lila). Lila is multiracial and often struggles to fit in at school and in the community. Lila's mother (their daughter) has been imprisoned for four years, having been convicted of drug possession and child endangerment. Both Mr. and Mrs. Jackson are frightened about Lila’s future and often struggle to understand the risks she faces in today’s society. To that end, they closely monitor her activities and her friends.
Paul and Toni Johnson moved into the neighborhood shortly after their youngest child was born, attracted by the relatively affordable housing market in the attractive, predominantly Black, neighborhood they chose. However, they are dissatisfied with the lack of activities and services for youth in the community. Mr. Johnson has a long commute to work, and Mrs. Johnson works fewer hours than they would like. They are also worried about their kids. They used to let their children walk to school with Lila Jackson, who was older. In the past few months, however, they have been worried about Lila’s influence on their son, so they have been looking for other options.
These core questions, specific to each client, will help you better understand and assess your client. Refer back to your answers throughout your assessment.