Andy’s story
Andy’s carer tells us how after initial difficulties with the family, sexual frustrations and extensive negotiation to gain access to money, eventually Andy gets what he wants and remembers it too.
NB: All names have been changed for privacy.
Andy’s visit to a sex worker
Andy is 27 years old, a young man who prior to his accident was working for one of the major banks. He was married and had a daughter aged two years old. Andy was returning from work one evening when he was assaulted and robbed. The muggers got his $5 dollar watch and his wallet with $10 in it.
As a result of his injury Andy was unable to return to work and had severe problems with his memory. His wife left him and went back to her country of origin and soon remarried. Andy had to move back with his parents who started treating him like a child although he was not behaving like a child.
He was constantly criticised by his father and told he was worthless, as he was unable to keep his wife and daughter and their relationship together. Arguments started to become more frequent in the family and ended with Andy being disowned by his father and had to find alternate accommodation.
After much work by a rehab team Andy was settled back into a place that he could call home and he did not have to deal with his father. Soon after this he started stealing women’s clothing from neighbours and was arrested. Charges were not laid and a psychologist who had no knowledge of brain injury put a behaviour modification program into place. This was unsuccessful and Andy was then prescribed medication. Andy found that this medication was affecting his function but was scared to stop it as part of his conditions for being released was that he comply with the medical treatment allocated by the specialists he had been referred to.
Andy started getting sexually frustrated again and got into trouble again with the law. Another referral was made to a different rehabilitation center and Andy was interviewed. Andy discussed his previous behavior but this time the interview was conducted by a male staff member, Andy was able to discuss his sexuality openly.
Andy was then able to form the goal of attaining the services of a sex worker. This took quite a long time as his culture, pride and beliefs did not allow for males to visit a sex worker especially after they had been married. An annulment of the marriage had to be requested and receive before Andy was willing to pursue his goal.
Then issues with description of workers and sexual exploration had to be addressed. Andy decided and was very strong in expressing that he was now bisexual and did not just want one sex worker but one of each gender. This was going to cost him a lot of money and he was only on the disability pension plus some victim’s compensation money that he was awaiting. When given his compensation money, Andy was appointed a public financial trustee due to his severe memory problems.
Extensive negotiations had to be undertaken for Andy to access his money to fulfill his goal. Finally the money was given to him, two sex workers were found that would fulfill his goal separately and Andy attended on his own. After he had achieved his goal, Andy was persistent that he had not done so and this proved to be a problem, as Andy was reporting that he could not remember having sex with any one. A cards system was developed and this overcame that problem. Andy now has a couple of sex workers he visits on his own and he reports that they are different to the original ones.
R. T.
Case Manager