I feel like I am in a bind, and do not know what to do. The senior I work with is wonderful! My client lives with one other family member, who at times has very erratic behavior. Today while I was picking up I saw a cut up straw, a credit card and white chunks where the only other person (not my client goes.) I am pretty sure it was oxycodone. My client had recent back surgery and only takes Advil. I am concerned the the medicine might be my clients. I also overheard the family member last week confirm a credit card over the phone in my clients name. I am really not sure what to do, or how to approach my superiors. I would appreciate some guidance and advice, I think the credit card thing is fishy, would you alert elder services?
My thought is before you bring a government agency in on this, I would consider another path that would prevent from creating needless drama. Whatever needs to be done to keep your client safe and environment healthy, is the first concern.
You state the 'person of interest' in this matter behaves erratically. And certainly, it is not a good environment for the convelesing senior to be around. Who knows what a drug addicted family member could be capable of.( I'd like to say that depending on the extent of addiction this person is under, would depend on action taken, but in all good conscience I cannot.) Any consumption can cause problems, and should be addressed as soon as possible to avoid complications.
Good luck and may God guide you, dear.
This actually is a bad situation. But shouldn't be a hard call... You know what is right and what is wrong.
1. Notify the agency that you suspect your clients roommate/family member/caregiver is using illegal drugs or Rx drugs recreationally. Notify them of the date you were there, what you were doing, what part of the house you were in, and what you witnessed (straw, card, white powder/chunks).
2. Notify your client of what you witnessed. Ask your client if they have any Rx meds that are scheduled (class III or class II). Also ask your patient if they are willing to keep their medication in a lockbox to aide in the prevention of theft.
3. Purchase lockbox (if necessary due to patient being home bound) and lock meds inside. Hide lock box in a place it is easily accessed but not in immediate line of sight. Get a weekly pill case if your patient doesn't want to get into the lock box every day to get into the pill bottles. Put all scheduled medications in this pill case. If they have scheduled AM and HS meds, get two weekly cases (different colors help) for each of the med times. For PRN meds you can get a third weekly case, or if your client can remember which pills are which you can get an altoids tin or something to leave just enough prn meds for the week out. The weekly case for PRN meds help too if your client can't remember if he/she took them or not. If they are prone to forgetting when/if they took meds, having the empty slot or a lower number of pills in the slot is a good memory boost.
4. If you catch the other household member stealing narcs from your client or witness him using narcs (Rx or street drugs) call 911 and report the use/abuse of narcs. Your client may need temporary placement, but it will likely be better than living in a house with a drug user/abuser who may or may not have stolen your clients meds.
Good luck as you proceed. Def find out what your agencies policy is on this type of situation. Let us know what happens or ask any other questions you may come up with.
Wheelie :-)
Asking the patient about it might be quite upsetting and I recommend against that.
So please report it to your employer. You can't really ask the patient without arousing suspicions and that should be done by someone who can handle the ramifications if it is true or if the suggestion causes distress, and you must hope for the best but assume the worst. Only your employer knows what should be done in this situation and if your employer suggests nothing should be done and your instincts disagree, come back and let us know. You are doing a good job. Kazaa, go find someone else to bully.
Indirectly, ask your client if s/he has had a Rx for opiates/opioids (e.g. oxy, vicodin, Percocet, etc.) filled lately, and if so who picked it up and where the medication is. On another day, strike a conversation with your client about credit cards. Perhaps s/he will mention having misplaced one recently. Choose another day and start a conversation with the family member about bodily pain. S/he might reveal something.
Right now, what you have is conjecture that can be construed as overzealous gossip. Gather some facts before you report the situation to your superiors, and don't forget the kinship between your client and the other person. I'm sure they talk when you're not there.
I'm not suggesting you look the other way, but be careful where and how you tread on this. The world of caregiving is a small ghetto, and word gets around fast.
I would feel that my responsibility was to the person i was caring for, but in doing that I would feel that I needed to protect them from a bad influence. If nothing else I would document and turn that evidence over to the proper authorities if needed. I don't know how you can prove anything about the credit card unless you saw what was being charged and knew they were running up an excessive bill,