Communication with patients' family

Hi guys, hope everyone’s travelling well going into their last week of prac 2. This is about my L Hemi pt who is closing in on the 5 month mark of recovery. He is lucky enough to have a very involved family with his wife and adult daughter spending as much time with him every day as possible.

His wife and daughter are getting increasingly frustrated with him due to his impulsive behaviours and lack of attention. These have been getting more frequent in the last month and a half, according to his wife. For example on Friday I asked him to get ready to stand up. When I came back he had already transferred himself to the plinth which he is not allowed to do given he is a hands on assist. This is just one example out of many of the things that are making his family frustrated.

Naturally when I see his family they want to know how he is progressing. I try to give them as realistic a picture as possible while placing a strong emphasis on the positive points. However due to frustration more than anything his family tend to concentrate on the negative aspects of his progress. While my pt comes across as a very happy guy, I worry whether what is being said is affecting the way he feels.

Should I try and talk to them without my pt being present? Should I modify what I tell them so that they don’t know about anything negative? Maybe I should ask them whether they think my pt would be upset when he is not progressing. If anyone has any ideas or has been in a similar situation please let me know.

Thanks, Anna