[Solved]: Scenario: You are a home health occupational…

Scenario: You are a home health occupational therapy assistant who has been assigned a new patient by your supervising occupational therapist. Your patient, Mrs. Nicholas, is a 72 year old married woman recovering from 2 fractures of the bilateral upper extremities. Her husband of 41 years is in the home. Upon your interview with Mrs. Nicholas, she seems cognitively to be in the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Because of Mrs. Nicholas’ frail condition, you ask her about her nutrition. Mr. Nicholas answers for his wife and says that the problem is that she refuses to eat. Mrs. Nicholas purses her lips but refuses to answer the question when you redirect the conversation. In taking further history before you start your treatment, you ask Mrs. Nicholas how she sustained 2 broken arms. Mr. Nicholas replies that she tripped over the cat and fell in the bathroom. You ask Mr. Nicholas to leave the room so you can work with Mrs. Nicholas, but he refuses, saying there is nothing that should be kept secret from him about his wife. Mrs. Nicholas does not respond. You believe that Mrs. Nicholas is being abused by her husband.