Case Study

Mrs. A is a 71 year old widow with CHF and osteoarthritis who has recently been exhibiting quite unusual behavior. Her daughter is concerned about her mother’s ability to remain independent and wishes to pursue nursing home admission arrangements. She fears the development of a dementing illness. Over the last two to three months Mrs. A has become confused, easily fatigued and very irritable. She has developed disturbing obsessive/compulsive behavior constantly complaining that her lace curtains were dirty and required frequent washing. Detailed questioning revealed that she thought they were yellow-green and possibly moldy. Her prescribed medications are:

Furosemide 40 mg daily in the morning

Digoxin 250 micrograms daily

Paracetamol 500 mg, 1-2 tablets 4-hourly PRN

Piroxicam 20 mg at night

Mylanta suspension, 20 ml PRN

Coloxyl 120 mg, 1-2 tablets at night