Cognitive and sensory alterations Flashcards
Cognition
What skills make up cognition
Cognition is knowing influenced by awareness and judgment
Skills- language, calculation, memory, attention, reasoning, learning, problem solving, and decision-making
Sensation
Sensation is a feeling, within or outside the body, of conditions resulting from stimulation of sensory receptors.
Stimulus
a change in the environment sufficient to evoke a response
Perception
ability to recognize and interpret stimuli
Sensory adaptation
During times of alertness, some impulses are ignored by the brain because they are not assigned priority as more important than others
Tactile receptors
detectable by touch, are located in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue
Olfaction
is the sense of smell.
Scents are detected by ——————, or sensory nerve endings that react to chemicals
Chemoreceptors
Gustation
sense of taste
requires that chemoreceptors come in direct contact with the stimulus.
Delirium
reversible state of acute confusion.
Depression
mood disorder characterized by a sense of hopelessness and persistent unhappiness.
Depression is always treated with medication.
Signs and symptoms of delirium
Fluctuating awareness
Impairment of memory and attention
Disorganized thinking, hallucinations, and Disturbances of sleep-wake cycles
Causes of delirium
drug or alcohol use, the side effects of medication, infections, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, low oxygen level, and pain. Delirium may occur in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) because of sensory overload.
Dementia
permanent decline in mental function, has a subtle onset.
“Alzheimer is the most common type of dementia.”
“The condition worsens over time.”
“I should observe for wandering behavior.”
“Agitation can be worse in the evening.”
factors may contribute to sundowning
- Brain changes causing a mix-up between day and night
- Exhaustion at the end of the day of both the patient and the caregiver
- Reduced ability to see due to dim lighting
- Inability to distinguish between dreams and reality
strategies to deal with sundowning
- Keep the home well lit during awake hours.
- Keep on a consistent schedule.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.
- Approach the patient in a calm, reassuring manner.
- Anticipate needs (toileting, thirst, etc.).
- Reorient the patient to person, place, and time of day.
cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
occurs when an area of the brain is deprived of blood flow
FAST
Face drooping
Arm weakness
Speech difficulty
Time - to administer TPA.
placing a call to 9-1-1 immediately is crucial.
receptive aphasia
Interventions
cannot comprehend written or spoken language.
Use simple phrases.
Speak louder than usual.
Use a picture board.
Be patient and unrushed.
expressive aphasia
Interventions
patients understand language but are unable to answer questions, name common objects, or express simple ideas.
Use yes/no questions.
Use a picture board.
Be patient and unrushed.
Damage to sensory nerve fibers in the arms and legs leads to
peripheral neuropathy
Patients may not be able to feel sharp objects or discern extreme hot and cold temperatures, leaving them vulnerable to injury
———- is the complete loss of the sense of smell.
Anosmia
Olfactory chemoreceptors decline in number and lose their sensitivity with age, causing a decreased ability to detect odors
Age-related hearing loss is called
presbycusis
the sensation that objects are moving around the person
vertigo
a ringing or other abnormal sound in the ear;
tinnitus
———— causes the affected person to be able to see clearly only a short distance.
myopia
——— manifesting as farsightedness, is an age-related decrease in the ability to focus on near objects.
presbyopia
Clouding of the lens of the eye is called a
cataract
—————- causes increased intraocular pressure, which puts pressure on the optic nerve, leading to loss of peripheral visual fields and possibly blindness
glaucoma
———————- is a complication of diabetes mellitus in which the blood vessels of the retina become damaged.
Diabetic retinopathy
—————- loss of vision occurs in the central visual fields. Visual acuity is diminished.
macular degeneration
Sensory deprivation
A person who cannot see, hear, feel, or respond to the environment may feel socially isolated.
Sensory overload
overabundance of stimuli—noise from machines, pressure from tubes, frequent interactions with health care personnel throughout a 24-hour day, constant lighting, and pain
Smoking, obesity, a high-cholesterol diet, and excessive alcohol use can cause
Hypertension
Increase the risk of stroke
Cocaine use can destroy
olfactory receptors in the nasal passages, causing a decrease in the sense of smell.
What senses does smoking decrease?
decreases the senses of smell and taste.
Frontal lobes
responsible for voluntary motor function, concentration, communication, decision
making, and personality.
Parietal lobes
responsible for the sense of touch, pain
distinguishing the shape and texture of objects.
Occipital lobes
process visual information
Temporal lobe
concerned with the
senses of hearing and smell.
If the damage is on the left side of the brain, there is loss of
sensation and motor function in the extremities on the right side of the body and problems
with speech occur.
Interventions to enhance vision include the use of
sharply contrasting colors
warm incandescent lighting
yellow or amber lenses to decrease glare. Fluorescent lighting can contribute to indirect and direct glare.
