Madam Halima the sole bread winner of the family.

Introduction

Mother-only Madam Halimah is 44 years old. She and her husband lived
in the same town until they mutually separated five years ago. Her daughter Natijah is 15
years old, and her son Mamat, who is 18 and has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Due
to a heart attack, he had two years ago, Mr. Karim has diabetes and other health issues.
Due to her focus on her family, Madam Halimah has neglected her friendships and interests.
Mamat is upset that his illness is affecting every aspect of his life while he is in college
studying for his foundation. Since Natijah spends more time with other family members, she
is becoming more reclusive and resentful. Mr. Karim is struggling to complete daily
household chores and has begun to neglect his own needs at home. Madam Halimah has set
up a befriending service that visits once a week and a homecare team that daily monitors
her father's medication and assesses his condition. According to the care agency, it is
possible that Mr. Karim is not taking his medication properly. In addition to having trouble
sleeping and feeling worn out, Madam Halimah has recently been experiencing nausea and
stomach pain. She wants to work more hours to make more money and advance in her
career, but she is unable to do so because she also needs to care for Mr. Karim and her
young children. She claims that she feels cut off from daily life. She tried going to a carers'
group, but she discovered that hearing about other carers' issues made her own difficulties
stand out more. When everyone else is sleeping at night, she occasionally utilises an online
form. Recently, Madam Halimah's doctor recommended that she seek counselling.
Communication
Madam Halimah is a 44-year single parent who is living with her two children. She has
separated from her husband five years ago who resides in the same town as hers. Her son is
diagnosed with Crohn’s disease which chronic form of inflammatory bowel disease. Crohn disease
has symptoms such as constipation and stomach cramps which can lead to abdominal pain, severe
diarrhoea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. Madam Halimah’s mother passed away two years
ago, and her father Mr Karim lives close by. Her father has diabetes mellitus and health problems
relating to his heart attack. Even though, Madam has siblings she is also in a place to take care of her
father who finds it challenging to do everyday household activities and feels alienated at home. In
the other hand, her Natijah is missing her time with her mother, and she have become more
introverted. She has become disgruntled as the other family affairs have taken up a greater
proportion of Madam Halimah's attention. Madam Halimah works part-time in administration at a
nearby institution. She does not have a me time as she has prioritised her family. In favour of her
family, she has ignored her friendships and pastimes like swimming and baking. Madam Halimah is
feeling stress because of the loneliness she is facing. She wants to be successful in her career but
cannot do so because she needs to attend her children as well as her father’s need. Moreover, Ms.
Halimah has been experiencing difficulty sleeping and is generally exhausted. Recently, she has also
started to feel nauseous and have stomachache. She asserts that she does not feel connected to
daily life. She has tried to get involved in a group for carers, but she has found that learning about
their problems has only made her own troubles worse. She occasionally makes use of an online
forum, but only during the late hours after everyone have been put to bed. Recently, Madam
Halimah's doctor advised that she undergo counselling.

Analysis

Madam Halimah, the focus of my case study, is a 44-year-old single mother who is
elderly. She has been facing many obstacles in her life lately. The key problem is she feels
inadequate to deal with her personal life and her family affairs concurrently. To solve the issues,
Madam Halimah can ask her husband to help her take care the children as he lives in the same city.
Besides that, she could get a helping hand from her siblings to take care of their father because
financially he is stable but just need a moral support and care from his children. By way of this, she
will be able to reconnect with her friends, which will be able to ease her loneliness. Madam Halimah
will also have some time to spend with her daughter and this will help her daughter to recover from
her neglection stress and the urge of receiving her mother’s love. Besides that, she also could try to
be involved in community of caretakers who can aid in determining the most appropriate answer to
her situation. There are many benefits of the involvement in caregivers’ community such as a Source
of additional resources and useful information.
Madam Halimah could get an excellent resource of information, resources, and
strategies specific to caring for her son who has a Crohn’s disease. This type of support can offer
participants a better understanding of symptoms, effective coping strategies, and tips for safely
caring for a loved one while helping to maintain their dignity. Besides that, it also provides an
emotional support. Madam Halimah who has been dealing with some health issues such as nausea
and gastric pain will be able to find from an incredibly calming and healing, both mentally and
physically, to confide in others who have had similar experiences as a caregiver. This community will
help to have a healthy outlet for emotions is a crucial resource that can help her develop healthy
coping skills and avoid caregiver burnout. Other than that, it also helps to reduce social isolation.
Through this, Madam Halimah will be able to connect with other caregivers who can help her since
she feels disconnected from her peers. Lastly, it also helps regains sense of control. Madam Halimah
will be able to manage her son and her father who is battling with illness by accepting the situation
without putting too much pressure on yourself and other elements out of your control.

Problem- solving

The most appropriate solution based on the analysis will be that the husband
should share the responsibility to take care the children and the siblings of Halimah also should give
a hand to take care of their father. There is various reason that this solution will be an efficient issue
solver. First and foremost, a father plays a significant role in every child’s life even though they are
separated from their wife they still have their responsibility to take care of their children. Actively
involved fathers benefit their kids' emotional well-being, general health, social development, and
self-respect. According to the law, the children are always given to the mother to be taken care of
because the mother is the main key of their development, but it does not mean the fathers should
neglect their responsibility. This can also help Madam Haliamh’s daughter Natijah who is feeling
lonely because of insufficient care from her mother. She will be able to get more care from her
father and will tend to be accompanied by him. Even though, she needs her mother’s care she will
be still occupied by her father’s care to avoid the feeling of being alone and stress. On top of that,
the financial situation also can be rectified as the expenses of taking of their son medical issues can
be shared equally and Madam Halimah can presume her career opportunities and have more time
for family as she does not have to work extra hours. Furthermore, Mamat will also have an extra
emotional support from his father. Mamat who is constantly being upset since the disease is
interfering all the aspects of his life can share his problems with his father and gain a feeling of
security, both physically and emotionally. Studies have shown that when fathers are affectionate
and supportive, it greatly affects a child’s cognitive and social development. It also instils an overall
sense of well-being and self-confidence.

Besides that, the siblings also should share their responsibility as a child and take
care of their elderly father who need love and care more than medication. Even though, Madam
Halimah set up a befriending service and a homecare team from Mr Karim he still wanted his
children to supervise him. He needed them more than the homecare team because who know their
parents better their children. Mr Karim is also adamant, and it is way better if Madam Halimah and
her sibling to take care of him and make sure he is taking his medication accurately. Mr Karim wants
his children to treat him with dignity and respect. Mr Karim also feel neglected at home, and he
wants his children by his side because after retirement the elderly people do not find purpose and
meaning in their day, most of the time they do not have routine. So, by sharing the responsibility
equally between them it will be helpful for Madam Halimah to take care of her personal needs, her
children, and her father without any difficulties. Mr Karim also will feel happy as all three of his
children his taking care of him without any trouble and still value him.

Evaluation

Even though, I find this solution as its best, but it still has it pros and cons. The
foremost con of this solution is that the children might get more attached to their father leaving
their mother behind. This is because they might tend to get more attention from their father as
Madam Halimah will be focused on her personal needs too. As from some study perspective it is
proved that children will always need attention from their parents. Despite it will solve the problem
but it still might have chance to be a burden for Madam Halimah as there are chance for her children
to get separated from her. Furthermore, complications might occur in between the separated
couple. There might be several disagreements between Madam Halimah and her former husband.
Primarily when there is not payment made for their children’s need and this problem might need to
be settled face to face. This changeover can lead to a face-to-face argument. Next, households have
different rules, routines, boundaries, expectations, and values. When one parent tries to influence or
control what happens in the other household, conflict will likely follow. Madam and her former
husband might fight over the household control and the way of managing the kids. Other than that,
they tend to behave like a married couple which might affect both parties. For example, Madam
Halimah and her former husband might sometimes speak to each other as if they are still partners,
behaving as if they have the right to tell the other person how to run their household, or parent their
children.

Besides that, there are also chance for the siblings to have conflicts in between
them. There might be issues regarding the financial aid for their father and the time that need to be
spent to take care of them. Firstly, Mr Karim show his favouritism towards his children as he prefers
Halimah to take care of him more than the other two children. In addition, there are also chance for
inequal division of caregiving responsibilities. Othe than that, the conflict may arise when the
siblings have different perceptions. For example, Madam Halimah may have vastly different
perception of her father’s need unlikely for her sibling who tend to have different perception.

Synthesis

There are several approaches to strengthen the solution's flaws. Prior to anything
else, Madam Halimah can have a talk with her former husband to avoid the complications. She can
make sure he takes care the children in a courteous manner and takes the responsibility as a way to
beloving with their children without separating them from their mother. Madam Halimah and her
former husband can also listen and talk to each other respectfully. They also can acknowledge each
other’s strength and co-parenting achievements. To avoid face-to-face complication, they can use
email or text messages to communicate which can overcome the difficulty to talk to each other
directly. Apart from this, as for her father Mr Karim, they siblings should divide their time and take
care of their father by just not put all the burden onto Madam Halimah. Moreover, be fair between
each other by taking turns to take care of their father. Madam Halimah and her siblings should
separate the time to provide the needs of their father and have an open talk if any dissatisfaction
occurs. Sometimes, unavoidable family dynamics may cause you to become the family caregiver.
Talking about it with your siblings may give them an avenue to offer support.

Reflection

There are great substantial amount of knowledge that I gained through this case study
approach. Most importantly, the commitment to the sacrifices made by a mother for her family come
first. As a single mother, Madam Halimah had to overcome numerous obstacles, yet she never
abandoned her family. Apart from that, the responsibility of a father towards their children and vice
versa. Father plays a key role in their children life and their support is essential for the child’s growth in
any situation. As for the children, its their duty to take care of their parents when they are in an elderly
age because that is the time, they can payback their sacrifices for them. Besides, we should always take
care of ourselves first to provide other’s need because our health comes first intake of anything. In
addition, we should also try to make ourselves happy and create a peaceful environment without
thinking the consequences because happiness is the key for a stressless life. Lastly, I would like to learn
and read more about this type of case study to enhance the solution and provide a better way out. In
addition, I would like to recommend that single mothers should establish limits, aspirations, and flexible
working hours to create a positive environment for the family. In turn, single mothers also tend to
develop a strong bond with their kids by fulfilling all their necessities.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, Madam Halimah has faced several challenges during her life. She
and her spouse shared a town until they decided to part ways five years ago. Her son Mamat, who is
18 and has been diagnosed with Crohn`s disease, and her daughter Natijah, who is 15 years old, are
both.
Mr. Karim suffers from diabetes and other medical conditions as a result of a heart attack he
suffered two years ago. Madam Halimah has neglected her relationships and interests because of
prioritising her family. Mamat is annoyed that his illness affects every aspect of his life, despite the
fact that he is in college pursuing a foundation degree. In addition to having trouble sleeping and
feeling generally worn out, Madam Halimah has recently started experiencing nausea and stomach
pain. She asserts that she does not feel connected to daily life. In overcome such obstacles in her
life, there are many ways suggested. These solutions might be an immense help for her to rectify the
problems and lead a peaceful life with her family.