i am a caregiver for an elderly lady that has developed a bad rash i believe exhibits all the signs of candida. Together we have more than exhausted what i believe to be all viable home remedies and the response has been minimal. I have been trying diligently to get her to see a physician even if it means call the emt's but to no avail her response is very negative and she at times becomes hysterical and just shuffles me off. what are my alternatives as i am somewhat new to this trade but want the best for this client. I really don't want to damage our relationship by calling and having her feel as though i have betrayed her but i want her to get the help she needs.
Is your client competent? If so, she has the right to refuse to see a Dr. If not, then someone else needs to make the decision to get your client to a Dr. You can take her to the Dr. but it's not your decision to make. Her adult children or whoever hired you needs to make that decision based on what you have observed.
Don't continue trying to treat the rash yourself. It needs to be seen by a Dr., diagnosed, and medicated as prescribed by a Dr. if necessary.
If you are an employee of an agency, you must record your observations and pass them to your supervisor as will be a condition of the service which your client has agreed to.
Otherwise, DO NOT report this rash to anybody without your client's consent, whatever you do. Apart from the risk of her not trusting you, as you recognise, you have a strict duty of confidentiality: you may NOT disclose information without her consent.
Still, time to get firm with her. Download and print off information about what you suspect the rash might be. Tell her plainly what awaits her if it goes untreated. Tell her you will have to call her physician unless she does so herself, as you would prefer (mild threat, don't actually do it). If she is still upset, ask her what she is upset about or afraid of. Reassure her that this condition is private, and will be treated as such by her doctor. That doctors have seen everything and there is no occasion for worry or embarrassment. That she should just imagine the relief of its being gone!
Be cheerful, calm, encouraging and reassuring. If you're still getting nowhere, do you have a home visiting nursing service in the area you could call in confidence for advice without naming your client?