Sensory Alterations

What term describes the mental process of organizing and interpreting sensory information (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste)?

Perception

Term: Kinesthetics

Definition: The sense that enables a person to be aware of the position and movement of body parts.

What is stereognosis?

The sense that allows a person to recognize the size, shape, and texture of an object through touch.

What are the 3 components of sensory experiences?

Reception

Perception

Reaction

How is a sensory deficit defined?

A deficit in the normal function of sensory reception and perception.

Change in the pattern of sensory stimuli with abnormal response.

Sensory alterations

The 3 types of sensory deptrivation

Reduced sensory input

Elimination of patterns or meaning of input

Restrictive environments

What happens to the brain's ability to process stimuli during sensory overload?

The overload prevents a meaningful response to stimuli.

Why is sensory overload considered highly individualized?

Because the threshold for what constitutes 'too much' stimuli varies from person to person.

Sensory overload causes:

Racing thoughts

Scattered attention

Anxiety

Restlessness

Sensory overload effectively mirrors the clinical presentation of sensory _____.

deprivation

What visual sensations are reduced when aging?

Presbyopia, astigmatism, glaucoma, reduced visual fields, increased glare sensitivity, impaired night vision, reduced depth perception, reduced color discrimination.

What two components of hearing besides acuity are typically reduced in sensory alterations?

Speech intelligibility and pitch discrimination

What gustatory sensation is reduced in aging?

Reduced taste discrimination

How is an olfactory deficit characterized?

Reduced sensitivity to odors

What are the three primary areas of difficulty for a patient with proprioceptive alterations?

Balance, spatial orientation, and coordination

Tactile sensory alterations involve a declining sensitivity to which 3?

Pain, pressure, and temperature

What are the three categories of factors that influence sensory function?

Meaningful stimuli

Amount of stimuli

Social interaction

Occupation

Cultural Factors

What is the rule regarding age when conducting a sensory assessment?

Always assess individually and never assume age is the cause of the deficit.

What should you determine when assessing a sensory problem?

Nature of the problem, signs and symptoms, onset, and duration, predisposing factors

Assessment

Self-rating sensory deficit

Recent changes in behavior

Mental assessment

Ability to perform self-care

Health promotion habits

Environmental factors

What is expressive aphasia?

Inability to name common objects or express simples ideas in words or writing.

What is Sensory/Receptive Aphasia?

The inability to understand written or spoken language.

What characterizes Global Aphasia?

The inability to understand language or communicate orally (both).

What is a prioritized outcome for a patient with a communication-related sensory deficit?

The patient and family report using communication techniques to send and receive messages within 2 days.

What is a specific behavioral outcome for a patient learning to use a hearing aid?

The patient successfully demonstrates the correct technique for cleaning a hearing aid within 1 week.

Implementations may provide education for:

Screenings (early detection)

What to implement for vision?

Minimize glare, large print, audio format

What is a common physical intervention to improve hearing acuity related to the ear canal?

Amplify sound, Excess cerumen removal

What are two ways to improve the gustatory experience for a patient with reduced taste?

Maintain good oral hygiene, provide well-seasoned foods and aromas.

How can we improve tactile?

Touch, turning and repositioning

Which sense specifically involves 'spatial orientation'?

Proprioceptive