13: Mohammed

Mohammed lives in your local area. Mohammed is a 13-year-old. He was born with severe physical and cognitive difficulties. He is unable to mobilise and care for himself; he is doubly incontinent and uses incontinence pads. The four-bedroom council house has been adapted to help Mum, who is Mohammed’s prime carer, meet his complex needs. He doesn’t sleep well and has frequent seizures during the night necessitating 24-hour care which also disturbs his brother’s sleep as they share a bedroom. One of the bedrooms is used for storage of medical equipment as well as a reclining chair for overnight carers to use. When he is ‘well’ he attends a special school, but he frequently misses school due to his poor health. There are three other children (1 boy and 2 girls) in the family aged 4 years, 6 years and 9 years. Dad works at the local factory and he earns the minimum wage. Mum is unable to work due to her role as a carer for Mohammed. The family have lived in council provision since they were forced out of their privately rented house 6 years ago, due to financial difficulties, but have now been deemed to have a spare bedroom. The family are very close and his siblings also help out with his cares when able. The family have support from dad’s family who live around the corner and the local mosque.

  • What factors provide positive influence on Mohammed and his family’s health?
  • What factors provide negative influence on Mohammed and his family’s health?
  • Use the following web sites to assess how much social welfare the family can access:

www.gov.uk/disability-living-allowance-children/overview

www.disabilityrightsuk.org/benefits-checklist

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/children-and-young-people/benefits-for-families-and-children/

Plan a week’s budget – do the benefits and minimum wage Dad earns cover everything they need? Did you include rent (what is the cost of rent in your area?), community tax, food, heating, lighting, school dinners? 

› Suggested answers

  • What factors provide positive influence on Mohammed and his family’s health?
    1. Mum and Dad
    2. Siblings
    3. Wider family
    4. Religion and community support
    5. School – school activities, school friends, learning skills and knowledge for life.

Now a teenager he may want more independence; adaptations will help this. Accessing support from other agencies such as Mencap ‘Family Hub’ may also support Mohammed and his parents to cope with the changing needs of Mohammed as he moves through adolescence.

  • What factors provide negative influence on Mohammed and his family’s health?
    1. Financial issues
    2. Disturbed nights
    3. Missing school due to health issues – effecting his learning but also his ability to socialise outside the family home.

Now a teenager he may want more independence – adaptations may not facilitate the level of independence he wants.