sensory cognitive alterations Flashcards
sensory reception
process of receiving data of external and internal environment via the senses
kinesthetic
awareness of body position and movement
stereognosis
sense that perceives solidity of objects and their size, shape and texture
medical term of senses
visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, kinesthetic, stereognosis
functional sensory input
reception -> perception -> reaction
reticular activating system (RAS) is
poorly defined network, extended from hypothalamus to medulla, mediates arousal, optimal arousal state: sensoristasis, monitors and regulates incoming sensory stimuli
somnolent
extreme drowsiness, but will respond normally to stimuli
stupor
unconscious, can be aroused by extreme and or reacted stimuli
coma
unconscious, can not be aroused and does not respond to stimuli
normal
alert, aware, responsive
sensory deprivation
reduction in or absence of usual and accustomed stimuli
s/sx of sensory deprivation
anxiety, depression, boredom, unsettled feeling, hallucinations
causes of sensory deprivation
altered sensory reception, deprived environments
sensory overload
one or more of the senses are overloaded
s/sx of sensory overload
agitation, racing thoughts, confusion
causes of sensory overload
internal stimuli (pain, nausea, anxiety), external stimuli (roommate, environment), other (taking in new info)
sensory deficit
impairment or lack or senses (impaired vision, hearing, taste, smell or tactile perception), can be reversible or permanent
sensory processing disorder
difficulty in the way the brain receives sensory info, or the way the brain organizes and uses that info, leads to challenges interacting in the environment
categories of sensory processing disorder
sensory overresponsivity, sensory underresponsivity, sensory discrimination, postural disorder, sensory craver, dyspraxia
which are indications of sensory deprivation
I feel anxious all the time, there is nothing good to watch on tv, will you please tell that dragon to get off my bed, what the use, nothing ever changes anyway
factors affecting sensory function
age, culture, personality & lifestyle, stress and illness, medication
presbyopia
age related hearing loss
cataracts
cloudy lens
glaucoma
cause vision loss and blindness by damaging a nerve in the back of your eye, optic nerve
retinopathy
leading cause of preventable blindness, caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye; blurred vision, a sudden of black “floaters”
macular degeneration
causes loss in the center of the field of vision, fatty deposits under the retina, blurred vision
cerumen accumulation
earwax, can lead to pain, itching, tinnitus, and hearing loss
which measure is appropriate when caring for patient who is hearing impaired
position yourself so that light is on your face
which of the following people are like to experience sensory alteration
an 80 y.o man with cerumen impaction, a 24 y.o woman who has been in the ICU for 15 days, a 12 y.o. boy who is in 10/10 pain and vomiting and needs surgery, a nurse with 2 years of experience who is floated to an unfamiliar unit to work a 12 hr shift
what is cognition
the systemic way in which a person thinks, reasons, and uses language/ the mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment
characteristics of normal cognition
intelligence, reality perception, orientation, judgement, recall and recognition, language
T or F. when caring for an unconscious patient, the nurse should speak loudly and assume the patient can hear the nurse
false, speak in normal tone
polypharmacy
may lead to drug interactions
beers criteria (the American geriatrics society)
list of medications that should not be used (or should be used cautiously) in adults over the age of 65
impaired thought processes
disorganized thinking, altered level of arousal, altered nutrition, memory impairment
impaired communication
expressive aphasia, receptive aphasia, dysarthria
expressive aphasia (brocas aphasia)
inability to express words one wants to say (verbal or written), limited speech (slow or takes great effort, reduced grammar, poor articulation), person knows what he/she wants to say but can’t find words
receptive aphasia (wernickes aphasia)
difficulty understanding verbal or written words, impaired auditory comprehension and feedback
dysarthria
motor speech disorder (r/t stroke or brain injury)
delirium
acute confusional state; sudden onset, con potentially be reversed; often due to a physiological cause, requires prompt assessment and intervention
dementia
generalized impairment if intellectual functioning; interferes with social and occupational functioning, gradual onset; progressive and irreversible
types of dementia
alzheimers (most common), frontotemporal, vascular, diffuse lewy
7As of dementia
anosognosia, aphasia, agnosia, apraxia, amnesia, altered perception, apathy
depression
reversible condition, may be mistaken for dementia
s/sx of depression
feeling of sadness, fatigue, anger/ abandoning or losing interest in hobbies or other pleasurable pastimes/ social withdrawal and isolation/ weight loss, anorexia/ sleep disturbances/ loss of self worth/ fixation of death
which describe delirium
if identified and correct it can be reversible, patient my sleep many more hours than usual or not at all, can be caused by life threatening physical problems
