Nursing Foundations: Case Study Analysis

NURSING FOUNDATIONS 1
Nursing Foundations
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

NURSING FOUNDATIONS 2
PART 1: CASE STUDY
Magdalene, a 60-year-old lady, was first married when she was 22 years to Robert but after four
years she was divorced. After her divorce, she remarried severally and also had many informal
relationships which had not lasted for long. When Magdalene was 40 years old, she started
behaving strangely, walking around her village during the night shouting, self-talking together
with self-laughing. By this time she was living alone in a single mad walled room which was
grass thatched and very dirty since her relationship with another man had broken. Because her
behavior was a threat to the whole community her neighbors took her to a community hospital
where she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and since then she has been hospitalized several
times in acute care psychiatric facilities. It was also found that Magdalene’s mother suffered
schizophrenia when she was in her 50’s but died later as a result of cancer.
The last time to be admitted which was three years ago she was diagnosed with a
borderline personality disorder which might have resulted due to a pattern of varying moods as a
result of the many broken relationships. Magdalene has a 10-year-old son called Martial who has
been in and out of foster care homes, and she attends her school occasionally although she hates
it saying that she is stupid and the other kids are mean. They both live in a dirty motel room.
Two years ago which was her last separation and divorce Magdalene's clinical presentations
were more exaggerated. Up to that time, she had worked intermittently as a temporary clerical
employee via a local personnel agency, but when her overreactions to office stress and her
manipulation character became very pronounced, she was sacked and stayed jobless till now.
Magdalene presents herself in a hospital emergency room with both her body and clothes filthy.

NURSING FOUNDATIONS 3
Although the weather is rainy and freezing, she is not on any coat and meets one of the clinical
nurses, and they start conversing.
Nurse: Hello, my name is Elizabeth, but you can call me Lizzy and I wish to help. How can I
call you madam?
Magdalene: My name is Magdalene.
Nurse: Okay Magdalene, do you have any family or friends?
Magdalene: As for the family I don’t have any other relation around apart from my ten-year-old
son, Martial and I do not have any friend because there are no people who want to be friendly.
Nurse: Where is Martial at the moment?
Magdalene: Martial is in school today. I got scared and could not wait for him.
Nurse: It is okay Magdalene we will verbalize a proper plan for the care of Martial during the
time of your hospitalization and of friends I can be your friend. Now, how do you feel or how
can I help you?
Magdalene: There is a man down the street, and he says he is going to harm me that is why I
came here to seek admission.
Nurse: It is alright Magdalene. Do you know the man and did you do anything to him?
Magdalene: There are a lot of nasty and mean individuals out there only that you can’t get away
from them and you have got to let me in.

NURSING FOUNDATIONS 4
Nurse: (Wondering what kind of answer she has given to her but on looking at her leg she
notices that Magdalene has a giant leg ulcer) Magdalene, what happened to your leg?
Magdalene: My leg gets tired sometimes, and I can't remember when my leg got sore like this.
The nurse decides to examine Magdalene, and she finds out that she has medical issues of
a giant weeping ulcer of 5 cm in length of stage 3 on a swollen left ankle, a serum glucose level
of 263, respiratory rate of 22, heart rate of 98 and high blood pressure of 160/98. Magdalene
refuses to let the nurse take her temperatures and instead tells the nurse that she is starving and
tired. Since Magdalene is agitated, the nurse is not able to undress her. Consequently, the nurse
can feel protruding bones under Magdalene's clothes and her skin is dry and flaky with several
bruises, abrasions along with scars. Furthermore, her feet are cracked and calloused.
PART 2: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Describe and analyze the problem(s) presented in your case study. What occurred and
why?
The problem presented in the case study is Schizophrenia which is a mental disorder that
interferes with an individual’s capability of recognizing what is real, think clearly, communicate
and make judgments along with managing his or her emotions (Ashwini, Prasad & Kosgi, 2017).
Strange symptoms are associated with Schizophrenia-like hearing imaginary voices along with
believing that the sounds are controlling their actions and thoughts.
From the case study, Magdalene is seen behaving strangely such as shouting while
walking around her village at night; there is an indication that she laughs and talks to herself
which is not normal and she feels not safe around people to the extent that she does not have a