Section 3

Just as you ask Mrs. Leavitt what she means by her last comment, Aaron comes in.  Mrs. Leavitt explains to her son what you are discussing and says again, “He’s getting so angry and physical”.  She goes on to tell you that her husband has always been very controlling and difficult.  He was also an alcoholic, however, he is currently not drinking since he can’t drive to the store and she keeps no alcohol in the house.  Mr. Leavitt had always been the financial provider, Mrs. Leavitt the nurturer and homemaker.  She never worked outside the home. 

She indicated her sons were angry with their father and nods to Aaron.  Aaron picks up on her cue and angrily tells you that as a child he suffered emotional and physical abuse from his father.  He was always afraid of what Mr. Leavitt would do and even now, he considered his father a “mean drunk”.  He noted that there were times he went to school bruised and frightened of what would happen when he came home.  He also explained that this was why Paul never came to visit.  Paul just wouldn’t put up with his father’s behavior and was tired of worrying about his mother when he couldn’t do anything about it. 

Mrs. Leavitt began to cry saying she had “blocked all that out”.  Both mother and son indicated that as Mr. Leavitt aged, the physical abuse became less and then stopped all together a number of years ago.  However, the emotional abuse and control over Mrs. Leavitt’s life had never stopped.  Now with the Alzheimer’s, they saw Mr. Leavitt as becoming physically threatening again and didn’t know what to do.

Leavitt Family
Case Study #3