CHC33015 IS Ageing Subject 5 Task 2

Roleplaying Activity

SCENARIO

John and Marcus Diggle, sons of Mr. James Diggle, have scheduled a meeting with you
and your supervisor regarding their father’s imminent death. The following are the
agenda for this meeting:

● Inform John Diggle and Marcus Diggle that Mr. James Diggle has an advance
care directive
● Support Mr. Diggle’s family as they process the situation
● Respect and support Mr. Diggle’s beliefs, preferences, and culture

Note: Before starting the roleplaying activity, read the following character briefs
carefully. Ensure that you and your volunteers follow the character briefs during the
roleplaying activity.

Student
You are Mr. James Diggle’s individual support worker. You have noticed that he has
exhibited signs of imminent death and have reported these signs to your supervisor.
Together with your supervisor, you have scheduled a meeting John and Marcus Diggle
to discuss Mr. Diggle’s advance care directive and answer any questions that they
might have.

During the meeting with your supervisor, John, and Marcus, you must be able to:
● Inform John and Marcus that Mr. Diggle has an advance care directive,
● Answer any questions from John and Marcus that are within your work role,
● Consult with your supervisor when questioning answers about matters that are
beyond your work role,
● Ensure that you do not interfere with John and Marcus’ discussion about John’s
reconciliation with their father, and
● Provide a supportive environment to John and Marcus as they process the
situation through:
o Active listening
o Providing emotional support

CHC33015 IS Ageing Subject 5 Task 2 Roleplaying Activity Version No. 1.1 Produced 03 September 2020
© Inspire Education Page 1
Rachel Allcot
You are Rachel Allcot, Manager for Residential Care at Lotus Compassionate Care. As
part of your duties as Manager for Residential Care, you supervise the centre’s
individual support workers. This supervision involves joining in meeting between the
individual support worker and the client’s family.

To help the student complete this activity, you must demonstrate the following during
the roleplay:
● Explain Mr. Diggle’s current situation (his imminent death) to John and
Marcus,
● Inform John and Marcus that any questions about the details of their father’s
advance care directive will be answered by his doctor,
● Inform John and Marcus that questions about Mr. Diggle’s medication must be
answered by the personnel who administers them,
● Answer any questions that the student will refer to you, and
● Remind John and Marcus that they can contact you and/or the student should
they have any other questions about the advance care directive.

John Diggle
You are John Diggle, one of Mr. James Diggle’s sons. Because of disagreements from
the past, you and your father have not spoken to each other for years. You have wanted
to reconcile with your father for some time now, but you do not know how to initiate
it, so you have taken to avoiding him still.

It was your brother, Marcus, who informed you when Mr. Diggle was put in Lotus
Compassionate Care’s care. He was also the one who contacted you when Mr. Diggle’s
condition worsened and convinced you to go to the centre with him to meet with the
student. However, despite Marcus attempts to explain your father’s current health
status to you, you have difficulty understanding the medical terms. You are also too
shy to ask Marcus for help, knowing that he is busy with his own family. Because of
this issue, you have little knowledge of your father’s current situation before coming
to Lotus Compassionate Care with your brother.

To help the student complete this activity, you must demonstrate the following during
the roleplay:
● Ask the student to explain Mr. Diggle’s current situation and advance care
directive,
● Ask the student the following questions about the pain medication that was
administered to Mr. Diggle:
o What was the dosage?

CHC33015 IS Ageing Subject 5 Task 2 Roleplaying Activity Version No. 1.1 Produced 03 September 2020
© Inspire Education Page 2
 o How often was the medication administered?
o How was it administered?
o What is the medication for?
● Inform the student that you want to reconcile with your father,
● Ask the student, the supervisor, and your brother for advice on how to best
approach the reconciliation, and
● Thank the student and supervisor for their help.

Marcus Diggle
You are Marcus Diggle, one of Mr. James Diggle’s sons. You and your family have been
visiting Mr. Diggle throughout his stay at Lotus Compassionate Care when you have
time. You are aware of the discord between John and Mr. Diggle and John’s desire to
reconcile with your father, but you do not want to push either of them to do anything.
To help your brother initiate contact with your father, you update him about Mr.
Diggle’s condition whenever you are free. However, you are not aware that your
brother has difficulty understanding your explanations and does not know the details
of your father’s worsening condition. You invited your brother to attend the meeting
with the student and the supervisor.

To help the student complete this activity, you must demonstrate the following during
the roleplay:
● Ask the student why the centre stopped feeding Mr. Diggle when he started to
refuse to take in food,
● Ask the student why you cannot take your father home,
● When John asks for advice on how to approach the reconciliation with Mr.
Diggle, advise him to do the following:
o Apologise to Mr. Diggle for the disagreement
o Tell your father that you have already forgiven him for the disagreement
o Thank your father for everything that he has done
o Tell your father that you love him,
You can add more advice for John, but the above topics must be mentioned,
● Thank the student and the supervisor for their time and help.

Note: There is no specific script for this roleplay. You can either create a script for your
volunteers so that they will know what to say precisely, or you can let them create their
own lines. If you choose the latter, ensure that they understand the scenario before the
start of the roleplay to avoid problems.

CHC33015 IS Ageing Subject 5 Task 2 Roleplaying Activity Version No. 1.1 Produced 03 September 2020
© Inspire Education Page 3