Case Study: MARTA
Marta is suffering from dementia that is caused by a lifetime of alcoholism. She lives at home with her husband Bill, who also drinks a lot of alcohol. A HACC worker visits three times a week.
Today her HACC worker notices bruises on Marta’s arms. This is the third time this month that she has had bruises. When she asks Marta about them, she just looks ahead and says nothing, humming in her normal way. When she asks Bill what happened he says, ‘I dunno – silly old cow keeps falling over. She was probably drunk again and fell out of bed.’
The worker looks at the bruising pattern. She thinks that it looks more like someone has grabbed Marta very hard.
- What signs would the worker be seeing in the bruising pattern that would indicate Marta has more than likely been grabbed hard rather than falling out of bed?
- If Marta had fallen out of bed, what type of bruising and injuries would the worker expect to see?
- Explain what action the worker must take in regard to the suspected abuse.
- Identify at least two professional support services Marta could be referred to.
- The worker no longer feels safe going to Marta’s house. This is very stressful for her as she doesn’t want to admit that she feels unsafe and insecure. She has been seeing a counsellor for other issues and decides that she wants to speak to them about how she is feeling.
- When talking to her counsellor, what does the worker need to consider in terms of her workplace’s privacy and confidentiality requirements.
- The worker learns that a colleague has been discussing Marta’s circumstances and her stress reaction in the lunchroom. There is often staff present who are not directly involved in client care. What legislation and ethical requirements is the colleague breaching?
- What should the worker do now that they know Marta’s personal information has been discussed?