Deidre Higgingbottom Persona

Background



Deirdre Higgingbottom is a 70 year old lady who lives with her husband in Northumberland. She suffers from arthritis, and her condition has worsoned over the last 5 years, and her mobility has been seriously affected as a result. Deirdre also suffered a nasty fall in 2005 which put her in hospital for 3 months as she needed knee surgery. The operation has restricted Deirdre from leading her every day life, and routine walks to the shops have been replaced by car journeys. The village she lives in is very small with a friendly population, however her house is located on the side of a steep hilltop, with the main village being at the bottom of the hill. Deidre has recently invested in a buggy to help her get around, but her independent attitude makes her not want to use it.Although Deirdre does rely on her husband to drive her to the shops, she still likes to go to the hairdressers and meet with friends without having to drag him around. She has 5 grandchildren and 3 children, and they frequently come to visit them, but they live at opposite ends of the country so Deirdre feels that it's her responsibility to provide hosptiality for them when they visit. Christmas is usually the busiest time for her as she cooks christmas dinner for the family, but her recent fall has made this increasingly more difficult as standing for long periods is no longer possible.

Interests

Prior to her fall, Deirdre enjoyed walking the dog through the woods behind her house, visiting national trust attractions, gardening, entertaining friends and family, bird watching, and baking amongst other interests. Now with the reduced mobility, she struggles to take part in these kind of activities. She spends a lot of time reading the newspapers as she gets three per day, and enters the telegraph crossword competitions every day. Cooking and baking is something that she manages to do every now and again, but not a frequently as previous years, leaving some of the resposibility to her husband. As the couple live in a quiet location, bird watching is still possible for Deirdre but she usually has to do this from the house rather then visiting other areas. She still manages to get out to national trust sites but has be pushed round in a wheelchair by her husband as most of the attractions involve nature trails, or just generally activities that involve a lot of walking or standing.

Daily life

A typical day for Deirdre usually follows a frequent routine. She will get up at about 8am and make some breakfast for herself and her husband. Her husband will then take the dog out for a walk which usually lasts for about half an hour, and when he comes back he will pick the papers up from the postbox at the bottom of the drive. While she is waiting she will usually clear up the breakfast plates and put the dishwasher on. She can then read the papers which will take her up to about lunchtime where the couple enjoy a cold lunch of rolls and cold meats. After lunch the couple drive down to the village to go to the co-op and just generally look around the shops. They usually run into friends and talk to them about the weather and their holidays. Deirdre may then go and get her hair cut and coloured at the local hairdresser which will take about an hour or so. Her husband returns then to pick her up at an agreed time and then the couple go back up the house.They can then settle down and do the crosswords/read the papers before they need to cook dinner. This is usually something quite simple like pork chops or chicken, but most of the cooking is done by her husband. She does lend a hand though as she doesn't like being waited on. They will then eat tea, clear up the dishes and then settle down infront of the fire with a glass of whiskey & water or brandy. They usually put on BBC news 24 and maybe read some magazines. Both of them usually fall asleep in their arm chairs around 8.30 and wake up every now and again to do some more reading. Deirdre will have a bath about ten o clock and then head off to bed.

Other Activities

Deirdre and her husband enjoy going on caravan holidays to france and italy. They have their own caravan and usually go about twice a year, with a third non-caravan holday to somewhere further afield. These holidays are usually for a few weeks and Deirdre's husband does all of the driving as she hasn't had a licence for about 20 years. These holidays are all funded from their pensions, as the pair both had very important jobs as doctor and midwife before they retired. This enables them to live quite comfortably and enjoy their retirements.