The Case of Elizabeth

Elizabeth was born with mental retardation and currently lives in a group home. She is 30 years old and comes from a large family. Elizabeth likes to go home on the weekends because she misses being with her family. Only an older sister and her elderly father live there now. When she visits home, she always returns depressed and crying. One of the group home workers asked her what happens at home to upset her so. She revealed that her sister physically abuses their father by pulling him out of bed by his ears, throwing food in his face, and hitting and slapping him. She also taunts Elizabeth about her disability during these visits. Her other siblings know the abuse is going on, but choose to ignore it. They say that they live too far away, have children of their own, and don’t have extra time to take care of their father. They believe that the abuse is their sister’s reaction to the stress of caring for their father and that she is not to blame. No one in the family is willing to have Elizabeth stay with them for her weekend visits. Elizabeth continues to be upset by her inability to visit her father and by the abuse that she witnessed and experienced while visiting her sister. The case manager has called your agency for advice.