RT Book, Section
A1 Murtagh, John
SR Print(0)
ID 1124556929
T1 Growing old
T2 Cautionary Tales: Authentic Case Histories from Medical Practice, 2e
YR 2016
FD 2016
PB The McGraw-Hill companies
PP Sydney, Australia
SN 9780070285408
LK murtagh.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1124556929
RD 2024/04/23
AB In  early  days  of  country  practice  I  was  approached  by  Tricia,  who  was  concerned  about  her  67-year-old  mother  Linda,  who  lived  alone  in  a  small  settlement.  The  problem  was  that  Linda  was  unpopular  and  isolated  because  of  her  sharp  tongue  and  irrational  behaviour.  Her  husband  had  decamped  years  ago  and  her  son-in-law  refused  to  visit  her.  A  recent  concern  was  her  forgetfulness  and  tendency  to  misplace  valuable  items  such  as  money.  She  also  had  an  altercation  with  her  neighbours  whom  she  claimed  were  interfering  with  her  ‘chooks’  and  stealing  eggs—a  claim  that  was  denied.  I  agreed  to  call  on  her  on  my  bimonthly  bush  rounds  to  monitor  her  mental  health  and  medication  compliance.  My  predecessor  had  noted  that  her  ‘odd’  behaviour  was  probably  caused  by  fluctuating  blood  sugar  levels  because  of  her  insulin-dependent  diabetes.