negotiation

Hi Guys
I thought i'd dicuss a situation I had with a difficult patient. I was on placement at Hollywood Hospital in the Rehabilitation Unit (Geriatrics). We had a new admission the previous day and I was to go see her with my clinical tutor. She was 60 (which was very young for the ward-the average age being approx. 85 yrs), a double below knee amputee which had resulted from an extensive history of PVD and very poorly controlled diabetes. From reading the notes, I already knew she was only having a short stay in the Rehab ward (4 days) which is unusual. She was flying home to Queensland the following week. From liasing with nursing staff, her transfers were requiring physio input (currenlty t/f with a slideboard to and from WC) and had been reported as unsafe and requiring 2 max assistance which wasn't adequate considering she was leaving soon to go home. Anyway, we had organised with her a time suitable in the afternoon. When the tutor arrived, we went in to take her to the gym, however her family was there. She was not happy to see us, slammed her book down and refused to have anything to do with us (she didn't even know why she was in Rehab in the 1st place whats the point-she could do it in quuensland!) Since I was with my tutor, I sort of felt i didn't have the authority to push the importance of correcting her transfers and went silent ,which looking back now, was probably the worst thing to do. My clinical tutor and I left the room to rethink our approach. I explanined to her that I didn't feel i had the authority to push the issue (i.e "student" status). My tutor said the patient was MY patient and I was responsible and must get over that thinking and take charge. After a few minutes of dicussion and getting some ideas with the tutor, we reentered the room where I approached the patient again, explained over and over the importance of safe transfers (and consequences of unsafe transfers) and the need for practice. I told her it would only be a short session concentrating soley on the transfers and invited her family to come and watch/be involved. I related it back to the need of safe transfers for her in the car, on/off the plane and at home. The session went well and her daughter was actively involved. We practiced t/fs from chair to bed, commode and shower chairs, and talked through car seat to chair (with OT the next day). The patient was compliant with following sessions and was discharged a few days later, safe with her t/fs. Anyway, I did find it difficult initially to negoitate and get the patient to be compliant with physio but in the end, it was successful. Does anyone have any other ideas that they would of employed in the same situation or even had been in a similar situation?