Antonio

Name

Antonio

Age

Country

Italy

Area

urban

Life course

retired person

Need

Chronic conditions and / or social needs

Connectivity

digital TV

Antonio, a 70-year-old man living on the outskirts of Naples, is a retired farmer, married with two children. A smoker since he was a boy, at the age of 69 he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the right lingual margin, which has progressively worsened over time, causing functional and aesthetic complications. Antonio experiences discomfort while eating due to burning on contact with food. His wife reports a reduction in food intake, inappropriate changes in diet and, rarely, lack of appetite. In addition, he reports that people have difficulty understanding him in a noisy room.
During the day, Antonio suffers from chronic fatigue and social isolation due to the tumour.

Internet usage

Mobile device skills

Affinity to new tech

Digital Health Literacy

Assistance (ICT use)

What's important to Antonio

– improve appearance
– being able to eat all textures
– feel no pain at mealtimes
– being able to speak without difficulty

Health concerns

– squamous cell carcinoma of the lingual margin
– edentulism
– diabetes
– arteriosclerosis
– presbycusis

Daily living

– Antonio takes care of the vegetable garden
– He enjoys spending time with his grandchildren
– He loves reading the newspaper
– He drinks wine every day
– Every morning he walks to his usual café for a coffee where he meets former colleagues and friends

Health tests

Ultrasound
Rx mandible and orthopantomography
Computed tomography (CT)
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
18F FDG PET, PET/TC
Biopsy
Laryngoscopy

Events, issues & personal concerns

Emotional distress
Pain when chewing
Economic difficulties
Difficulties in reaching hospital services
Difficulties in resuming daily activities

Treatment: medications, therapies, etc.

Antonio needs surgical treatment to remove the carcinoma at the lingual margin
He will need speech rehabilitation through targeted exercises and/or compensatory tools
Radiotherapy counselling
Appropriate nutritional pathway
Psychological examination

Own resources & assets / support

His family
The walk to the bar

Care professional concerns

appropriate psychological support
creation of simple and tasty recipes for dealing with dysphagia
monitoring of progress
eliminating smoking and alcohol

Needs

return to his daily activities without difficulty
resume her social life
being able to eat together with his grandchildren without difficulty
improve access to services
improve her appearance

Developed by

Nancy Attena