The subject Rita is aged 87 and lives at the Retirement Home in Texas.  Rita has 2 sons and 4 Grandchildren.  Her husband passed away some years ago.

Cognitive:

Intelligence :  Despite her elderly years Rita still has good retention of her faculties.  She was able to demonstrate good comprehension ability and she still enjoys completing the daily cryptic crossword puzzle.  Rita has good conversational skills and retains a good sense of humour

Memory :  The short term memory of Rita is above average and she is able to describe recent events and occurrences with a degree of clarity.  Longer term memory is not so good but she is able to describe happy events of her late husband.

Social Emotion :  Rita has a good state of mind for her age and enjoys the companionship and conversation of fellow residents at the retirement home.  She has made a number of close friends but naturally misses the companionship of her late husband as they had a long and successful marriage.  She enjoys regular visits from her sons and grandchildren.

Self Image : Rita try’s to enjoy her life but realises the constraints of her age.

Attitude:  Rita has a good attitude towards life and conveys a positive image to the other residents, some of which suffer with terminal illness.

Mood:  In general terms Rita has a fairly consistent mood but there is a definite uplift when she is visited by her sons or grandchildren.

Relationships : Rita enjoys good community spirit with other members of the retirement home and the staff.  She is very proud of her sons and grandchildren and looks forward to their visits.

Physical:  Rita has limited mobility and is frail because of her age. Rita does like to do trips around the retirement garden when the weather is fine.

Summary:

Rita is a good example of where community spirit and the companionship of others results in effective well being and the maintenance of good cognitive powers.  The importance of family bonding carries on throughout the passage of life and with the passing of Rita’s husband the companionship is filled by her sons and grandchildren.   Rita recognizes her limitations due to her age but has the spirit to live out her life to the full.