She hired me and couple other aides to do private care to help her with grocery shopping and meal preparation. The doctor instructed her not to drink but she refuses to listen. She wants us to purchase her drinks at the store. The kids said we are not supposed to.
What should we do if the client refuses to listen to children and instructs us to still buy it? She is a high risk person with falling.
Is it a liability issue if we buy her alcohol and when we are not there she falls? Can we be taken to court for buying alcohol for her? She pours it for herself.
The ethics are this. If your client is a consenting adult, and she is your employer, and you are sure that she understands her doctor's advice and the consequences of ignoring it, then she is free to make her own choices and you should follow her instructions in this as in any other. It is not an illegal order she's giving you. And it's not as though you're pouring the stuff down her neck. You don't have any right to restrict her purchases.
Having said that. If you are still uneasy about it, tell her so and tell her why and do your best to suggest better choices.
Her kids can take the matter up with her. They don't pay you, they don't give you instructions, what their mother eats and drinks is not their decision to make. You can explain to them how you're trying to support their mother's welfare, but you can also tell them not to take their frustrations out on you.
You can check with her doctor whether in his/her opinion your client is a consenting adult. Keep a log of the conversation, because it shows that you are mindful of your client's ability to make her own decisions.
Do you have insurance when at work? What does the policy say about issues like this?