Real-Life Decision Making
A mother and her adult daughter have come in to see you. The daughter tells you her mom has been complaining of sore feet. But before she even finishes telling you about her mother's problem, the mother interrupts and insists her foot problem is not bad.
The mother believes it's just because she is old, and her feet have taken a lot of abuse throughout the years. She goes on to explain that when she was a child, her parents didn't have the money to buy her and her siblings good shoes.
Her daughter looks frustrated, and says she thinks the problem has more to it than just having cheap shoes as a kid. She adds that her mother has been limping around for two weeks and her feet never used to bother her.
You get the feeling that the mother didn't want to come and see you today. But it's obvious the daughter is worried about her. You decide you're going to have to approach this situation just the right way, or you're likely to anger both the women sitting in your office.
Hoping to ease the tension, you begin asking the mother some general questions about her foot pain. Eventually she agrees to remove her shoes. You notice how swollen her feet are. In some areas, they are sore to touch, but she insists that she just needs a new pair of shoes, or maybe some of those cushy insoles.
The daughter shakes her head no, and wants you to check into the problem further. The mother is obviously angered by her daughter's suggestion. She glares at you, just to make sure she gets her point across.
What do you do?