Mrs Shapiro
Mrs Shapiro told Sian that she'd decided to take her pension as she'd recently become a carer for her husband. He's recently been diagnosed with dementia.
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Conversation |
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Sian "So is there anything specific that has made you decide to access your pension fund?"
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Experience Has this been experienced before? |
Mrs Shapiro "I've had to drop my hours at work to care for my husband. He has dementia and recently he's needed more support. I was finding it all a little overwhelming, so I decided to cut my hours and take my pension."
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Sian "I'm sorry to hear that Mrs Shapiro. It sounds like you have a lot going on at the moment. Is it OK to ask some questions to help us understand your situation better and see if there's anything we can do to support you during your application?"
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Mrs Shapiro "Yes of course, fire away!"
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Duration How long have they been experiencing this? How long has this been happening? Is it permanent, temporary or occasional? |
Sian "Will you be your husband's main carer on a long or short-term basis?"
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Mrs Shapiro "It will definitely be long-term. We can't afford to pay carers to come in. My daughter-in-law is helping at the moment but she'll be going back at some point."
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Sian "Is there anything in particular you're finding more difficult since you started caring for your husband?"
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Mrs Shapiro "Speaking on the phone for long periods can be difficult sometimes. I'm lucky my daughter-in-law is here today and she is sitting with my husband. Otherwise, he can become agitated if he doesn't have my full attention."
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Impact What are you finding hard? |
Sian "I appreciate that caring for someone can be challenging, what's it been like for you on a day-to-day basis?"
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Mrs Shapiro "It's exhausting! I'm not sleeping much as my husband is often up through the night. I struggle the following day if I have to do anything that requires any concentration."
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Assistance What else can we do to help? Are there any ways we can help them? |
Sian "Thank you for sharing what's going on for you at the moment, Mrs Shapiro. Is there anything we can do to help while you're going through your application?"
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Mrs Shapiro "I do have my daughter-in-law helping me at the moment. She works in pensions and understands all of this."
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Sian "Some of our customers have found it helpful to have appointments at specific times of day, or the option of communicating in writing where possible."
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Mrs Shapiro "Actually, having appointments between 10 and 2 would be helpful as this means my daughter-in-law can be here and still be on time to pick her children up from school."
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When we asked what had prompted Mrs Shapiro to take money from her pension pot, she told Sian she was feeling overwhelmed due to recently taking on care responsibilities for her husband, who'd been diagnosed with dementia.
By using IDEA, Sian was able to get under the surface and find out more.
Now we know Mrs Shapiro:
- Struggles to spend long periods of time on the phone without being distracted by her husband
- May need to give up work, leading to a drop in income
- Is exhausted which means she struggles to focus and take in large amounts of information
- Will be supported by her daughter-in-law, who works in the pensions industry, and can explain her options
This example clearly demonstrates how easy it is to use IDEA to learn more about our customer's situation and their support needs.