Rudeness in Therapy - Update Page 2

[mich3554]

The OP could make a very good case with a privacy issue - the husband in question was not a patient, if I understand correctly, and should have been excluded from the start.

Maybe, maybe not.  If the patient needs her husband there, if he needs to help her at home, then there could be a very good reason why he is there.  Not knowing what the circumstances are, it's hard to say.  However, he should NOT have been bothering the other patients.

I bring my SO in with me to see my orthopedic surgeon.  Since my double prosthetic infection, he has been my caregiver and some of the instructions that I receive pertaining to my care involve him as well.  Also, when you are a patient, many times you do not hear things the same way that a second set of ears do.  In fact, this is a very common solution that is suggested when a person needs to undergo surgery, to bring along a spouse or friend to make sure that the patient hears correctly.

[snowdragon]

The OP could make a very good case with a privacy issue - the husband in question was not a patient, if I understand correctly, and should have been excluded from the start.

Maybe, maybe not.  If the patient needs her husband there, if he needs to help her at home, then there could be a very good reason why he is there.  Not knowing what the circumstances are, it's hard to say.  However, he should NOT have been bothering the other patients.

I bring my SO in with me to see my orthopedic surgeon.  Since my double prosthetic infection, he has been my caregiver and some of the instructions that I receive pertaining to my care involve him as well.  Also, when you are a patient, many times you do not hear things the same way that a second set of ears do.  In fact, this is a very common solution that is suggested when a person needs to undergo surgery, to bring along a spouse or friend to make sure that the patient hears correctly.

I think magician5 was referring to the husband wandering over to other patients - and I do think that would be a privacy problem.  I would have been calling my PT over to get the guy away from me as soon as he approached.

[Rosewater]

I think it would have been OK for you to say to him "I would like it if you would go to the waiting area so we can all concentrate on the exercises".  You do have every right to speak your mind about this issue and the therapist would give you mental fist pumps for saying it!

With health care facilities being inundated with the customer service nonsense over patient satisfaction scores, I can see where the therapist would be extremely reluctant to tell him to leave.  If the man complains guess who is going to get written up for it?

This is the same nonsense that has me no longer telling people to be quiet in the hospital, get off their cell phones, that visitors are not allowed at 2 am or that the KFC feast they are bringing into a diabetic (who knows better) is not appropriate.  I say nothing about these things because if I do and they complain, I will get written up.  This is also why I only work about 2-3 days a month in a hospital.  And it's only going to get worse.

[YummyMummy66]

Put up a sign, "Only patients are allowed in the therapy area" and reinforce that sign when anyone other than the patient tries to wander into the therapy area.

If Tom happens to say something, you can tell Tom, "I am sorry, but we had a few complaints the last time you visited.  Other patients do not want to be bothered when they are doing their therapy nor do they want to be observed as they are concentrating on what they need to do".

Ooops.  I put Tom as the husband's name, not the therapist's name.  But, I meant the husband.

[magician5]

If the patient needs her husband there, if he needs to help her at home, then there could be a very good reason why he is there.  Not knowing what the circumstances are, it's hard to say.  However, he should NOT have been bothering the other patients.

Exactly - If the patient needs him, why isn't he right by her side (or very near)?

[Redsoil]

I think that Tom could simply say to the husband - "Okay, I'll be about *X time* with your wife, so you're fine to go back to the waiting room.  Policy is that we only have patients in the therapy area so they're able to fully concentrate on instructions."

If the husband demurs, then Tom needs to tell him (not ask) "Yes, I understand, but patients here need to concentrate,  so we don't allow other people in the treatment area." 

And if there is still a problem:  "It makes other patients feel quite self-conscious if there are people here aside from actual therapists and patients.  You need to wait in the designated area.  Thank you."  Then actually walk him out.

If none of this works, then Tom needs to go up the chain of command.  Obviously, this gentleman feels he's assisting, when he's really doing the opposite!  Polite but firm, citing policy, and explaining why this policy is in place should sort it.

[BeagleMommy]

Update:  Well, the issue has been resolved.  Tom went to the Head Therapist and told him about the issue with the interferring husband (he told me that the Head Therapist told all the therapists/assistants to assure patients it wouldn't happen again).  The woman was told that her husband must stay in the waiting area unless he is asked to come into the therapy room.  If he doesn't, she'll be asked to go to a different practice.

[oceanus]

Is there anything else I could have Tom use to fortify his arsenal in dealing with problem people like this?

OP, please don't misunderstand what I'm about to say, but I'm not undersdanding why Tom involved you at all.  (Unless I'm wrong) you're not a staff member and you're certainly not responsible for helping Tom to learn to deal with problem people.  That's the responsibility of Tom's employer/boss.

[Maude]

Tom's professional development is not your responsibility.

[Bijou]

It occurred to me that the husband may be the one who needs someone with him for some reason (mental health or dementia comes to mind immediately).  If this is the case and the wife has no one who can stay with him, she is in a pickle, for sure.   If not, she is as much to blame as the husband because she needs to keep him at bay. 
Where I have gone they have private rooms as well as a public area.  I always ask for a private room.  I want to do my exercises in private, with the exception of using the machines.  I'm fine with that, but not with anything else.  I wonder if a private room would help to keep this man out of other patients hair.

[m2kbug]

Jumping in late, but I was thinking if there is some reason the husband can't or won't leave his wife's side, a good thing for Tom to learn to do is to ask the husband to please take a seat right here.  Go grab a chair for him and learn to tell the husband that he needs to be quiet and not interrupt and if he doesn't he will be asked to go to the waiting area.  I realize there are liability and privacy issues at play here, but I don't see a problem with another person being there with the patient so long as he sits quietly and and isn't a nuisance.  Just another idea for Tom or anyone else who has to deal with these situations.