Question

Patrick is the primary carer for Sebastian, a young man who has complex care needs which are extremely time consuming. He needs full time supervision, medication management and must be turned in bed several times a night. Pahalk is a support worker who initially created an individual support plan for Sebastian and now provides ongoing support to the family. Patrick meets with Pahalk to talk about how the family is coping at present. Patrick tells Pahalk that he is finding the caring responsibilities challenging and that sometimes he gets very cross and angry. He explains that there have been times when he has left Sebastian unattended to go to the pub nearby and play the pokies. He explains that he does not gamble a lot but that it just gives him a short break and some relief from the demands of caring. Pahalk asks what happens when he feels angry at home and Patrick tells him that one day last week he had found himself thinking about hurting Sebastian. He did not hurt Sebastian but felt extremely ashamed of himself afterwards for even considering it. Patrick then breaks down and tells Pahalk that he is worried about whether he should continue caring for Sebastian at all. Pahalk provides care and reassurance and asks Patrick if he thinks it is still a possibility that he might try to harm Sebastian. Patrick tells Pahalk that he is worried every day that he might do something bad to Sebastian and that he does not know what to do. He asks Pahalk to promise not to tell anyone about what he has said.

Q1 : What are the issues that may impact on Patrick’s physical and emotional health and wellbeing? (Approx. 80 words).

Q2 : Outline Pahalk’s legal and ethical obligations with regard to their work role boundaries and limitations in this situation. (Approx. 100 words).

Answer 1

1) Clinical observation and early empirical research showed that assuming a caregiving role can be stressful and burdensome.Caregiving has all the features of a chronic stress experience: It creates physical and psychological strain over extended periods of time, is accompanied by high levels of unpredictability and uncontrollability, has the capacity to create secondary stress in multiple life domains such as work and family relationships, and frequently requires high levels of vigilance. Caregiving fits the formula for chronic stress so well that it is used as a model for studying the health effects of chronic stress. Patrick should consult a good psychiaristic and should cure him self from this stress.

2) The principle of duty of care is that you have an obligation to avoid acts or omissions, which could be reasonably foreseen to injure of harm other people. This means that you must anticipate risks for your clients and take care to prevent them coming to harm.