The doctor’s office is called by a woman who feels pressure on her chest. It is possible that this has to do with her heart. She is asked if anyone else is there and it turns out that her 16-year-old son is in the house with her and staying with her.
While the home office sends an ambulance toward their home, Peter from the Crisis Intervention Team consults with another colleague from the home office about the worrisome situation regarding the boy. There is a real chance that the mother will have to stay in the hospital, leaving the 16-year-old boy alone.
Peter decides to call the boy. He gets a quiet guy on the phone who doesn’t really seem to care. The boy indicates that his family lives far away and that he has no acquaintances nearby. He also reveals that he is worried about his mother, but that he is doing fine. Peter tries to make it clear to him, without scaring him, that it might be smart to think about “what if…”.
Suppose his mother has to spend a night in the hospital, where will he sleep? Will he stay home alone then? The boy eventually indicates that they have reasonably good contact with the neighbors. Meanwhile, it turns out that the mother does indeed need to be hospitalized. Since it is not yet known whether the mother will have to stay as well, a plan is being drawn up in advance on how the young will get through the next few days. Questions asked in such a case are:
> Who could you possibly turn to?
> Can the neighbors do anything for you?
> How is your self-efficacy?
> Can you cook for yourself?
> Can you wash?
After some time, it turns out that the mother does not need to stay in the hospital and the case is over. The boy can wait for his mother at home and no longer need to be taken care of. Fortunately, the mother also appeared to be fine. All’s well that ends well!
