Sensory Flashcards
Auditory
Hearing
Tactile
Touch
Olfactory
Smell
Gustatory
Taste
Kinesthetic
Enables a person to be aware of posiyion and movement of body parts
Stereognosis
Recognition of an objects size, shape and texture
Presbyopia
Decreased accomidation of the lens to see near objects clearly - visual defecit
Cataract
Opaque areas of the lens that cause glaring and blurred vision - visual defecit
Dry eyes
Decreased tear production that results in itching and burning - visual defecit
Glaucoma
Increase in intraocular pressure resulting in peripheral vision loss, halo effect around lights - visual defecit
Diabetic Retinopathy
Blood vessel changes of the retina, decreased vision, and macular edema - visual defecit
Macular degeneration
Blurring of reading matter, distortion or loss of central vision - visual defecit
Prebycusis
Progressive hearing disorder in older adults - hearing defecit
Cerumen accumulation
Build up of ear wax, causing conduction deafness - hearing defecit
Disequaliberium
Results from vestibular dysfunction, vertigo - balance defecit
Xerostomia
Decrease in salivary production, leading to thicker mucous and dry mouth - taste defecit
Peripheral neuropathy
Numbness and tingling of the affected area, stumbling gait -neurological defecit
Stroke
Caused by a clot, hemorrhage or emboli to the brain - neurological defecit
3 major types of sensory deprivation
- reduced sensory input (loss of hearing or vision)
- the elimination of patterns or meaning from input (exposure to strange environment)
- restrictive environments that produce monotony and boredom (bed rest)
3 most common types of sensory alterations
- sensory defecits
- sensory deprivation
- sensory overload
When does sensory overload occur?
When a person receives multiple sensory stimuli and cannot perceptually disregard or selectively ignor some stimuli. Overload prevents meaningful response by the brain; the patients thoughts race, attention scatters in many directions, and anxiety and restlessness occur. A persons tolerance to overload varies with level of fatigue, attitude, and emotional and physical well-being.
Sensory Defecit
A defecit in the normal function of sensory reception and perception.
Sensory Deprivation - Cognitive effects
Reduced capacity to learn inability to think or problem solve Poor task performance Disorientation Bizarre thinking Increased need for socialization, altered mechanisms of attention
Sensory Deprivation - Affective effects
Boredom restlessness increased anxiety emotional lability panic increased need for physical stimulation
Sensory Deprivation - Perceptual effects
Changes in visual/motor coordination reduced color perception less tactile accuracy changes in ability to perceive size and shape changes in spacial and time judgement
Normal Sensation
Reception: stimulation of a receptor such as light, touch, or sound
Perception: integration and interpretation of stimuli
Reaction: only the most important stimuli will elicit a reaction
Factors influencing sensory function
Age Meaningful Stimuli Amount of Stimuli Social Interaction Environmental Factors Cultural Factors
People at risk for sensory alterations
- Older adults because of physiological changes of sensory organs
- Individuals who lived in confined environments- nursing home
- Acutely ill patients -ICU patients, long term hospitalization
- Individuals confined to wheelchair
Assessment of sensory function
see table 49-2 page 1239
Expressive Aphasia
Motor - inability to name common objects or express simple ideas in words or writing. Can understand a question but cannot “express” the answer.
Receptive Aphasia
Sensory - The inability to understand written or spoken language. The patient can express words but it doesn’t make any sense because they cannot understand questions or comments from others.
Global Aphasia
Inability to understand language or communicate orally.
What is the primary cause of blindness in African Americans?
Glaucoma
symptoms of proprioceptive changes
Increased difficulty with balance, decreased sensitivity to pain, inability to avoid obstacles, inability to determine the position of an object, and decreased sensitivity to pressure are symptoms of proprioceptive changes. It is common after the age of 60.
Sighted Guide - Safety precautions for visual impairment
- To help a visually impaired person with ambulation, offer an elbow or arm. Instruct the client to grasp your arm just above the elbow. If necessary, physically assist the person by guiding his or her hand to your arm or elbow.
- Go one-half step ahead and slightly to the side of the person.The shoulder of the person needs to be directly behind your shoulder. if the person is frail, place the hand on your forearm.
- Relax and walk at a comfortable pace and warm the patient when you approuch doorways or narrow spaces.
Safety precautions - visual impairment continued
- while walking with patient describe surroundings and ensure obstacles have been removed
- never leave a patient with visual impairment alone in an unfamiliar area.
- ensure the patient knows where the call light is before leaving them alone.
- keep necessary objects at arms length to prevent a fall caused by reaching too far.
- appropriate use of side rails
Safety precautions - hearing impaired
- requires more frequent visits by nurses
- note the impairment at the intercom system at the nursing station and in the patients chart
- provide message boards and call lights close the patients hand
Safety precautions - tactile sensation impairment
- provide timely repositioning, moving tubes or devices on which the patient is lying, and turning to avoid skin breakdown when a patient is unable to sense pressure
- use caution when appying heat or cold therapys and preping bath water if the patient is less able to sense temperature
- Assess condition of patients skin frequently
Interventions to enhance vision
Interventions to enhance vision include the use of sharply contrasting colors, warm incandescent lighting, and yellow or amber lenses to decrease glare.
How does age effect hearing?
- Low-pitched vowels are easily heard.
- The hearing acuity is decreased
- The discrimination of consonants becomes difficult.
- Reaction to speech is usually delayed
- Low-pitched sounds are better heard than high-pitched sounds.
How do you facilitate communication with a hearing impaired person?
- Face the client when speaking
- Speak slower and in a normal tone
- Talk toward the client’s best or normal ear
- Articulate clearly.
Hyperesthesia
When a patient is overly sensitive to tactile stimulus -
Minimize irritating stimuli such as keeping bed linens loose to minimize direct contact with a patient and protect the skin from any irritants.
Adult behavior indicating impaired vision
Poor coordination, squinting, underreaching or overreaching for objects, persistent repositioning of objects, impaired night vision, accidental falls
Adult behavior indicating olfactory impairment
Failuer to react to noxious odor or strong odor, increased body odor, decreased sensitivity to odors.
Adult behavior indicating taste impairment
Change in appetite, excessive use of seasoning and sugar, complaints about tasteof food, weight change
Adult behavior indicating touch sensory impairment
Clumsiness, overreaction or underreaction to pain, failure to respond when touched, avoidance of touch, sensation of pins and needles, numbness, unable to identify objects placed in hands
Adult behavior indicating hearing impairment
Blank looks, decreased attention span, lack of reaction to loud noises, increased volume of speech, positioning of head toward sound, cmiling and nodding in approval when someone speaks, use of other means of communication such as lip reading or writing, complaints of ringing in the ears
What causes adult sensorineural hearing loss?
It occurs due to vascular alteration, metabolic alteration, and prolonged exposure to noise.
A nurse is attending to clients with hearing impairments. What precautions should the nurse take while communicating with these clients?
- Keep the eyeglasses of clients clean so that they are able to see the gestures and face of the speaker.
- If possible, information can be written down and shared with hearing-impaired clients.
- Clients with hearing impairment should be allowed to use their hands freely so that they can communicate with hand gestures or sign language.
- Speak in lower tones.
- When you are not understood, rephrase rather than repeat the conversation.
The client who has reduced sensation in the extremities is at higher risk for injury from exposure to temperature extremes. What temperature should the hot water heater be set to?
So care should be taken to ensure that the temperature setting on the home water heater is not set at more than 120 °F.
