An Old Woman and her Case Worker: Accommodation and Resistance in the Face of Serious Illness

From the Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation archives in Detroit, Michigan, we document the persistent efforts of one client to remain in her beloved home amidst progressive illness and her position as an older woman facing economic limitations during the Great Depression. We consider the development of social case work methodology during this time period and demonstrate how this woman exerts self-determination and personal power by both accommodating and resisting these emerging case work principles in her relations with the case worker.