Sensory Alteration Lecture Notes

Sensory Types

• Five Main Senses:
  • Visual: Sight
  • Auditory: Hearing
  • Tactile: Touch
  • Olfactory: Smell
  • Gustatory: Taste
• Additional Senses:
  • Kinesthetic: Awareness of position and motion of body parts
  • Stereogenesis: Recognition of size, shape, and texture of objects

Sensory Function

• Normal Sensation:
  • Reception and stimulation of receptors (e.g., light, touch, sound)
  • Perception involves integration and interpretation of stimuli
  • Reaction occurs only to the most important stimuli

Sensory Alterations

• Sensory Deficit: Impaired function of sensory reception and perception
• Sensory Deprivation: Inadequate quality or quantity of stimulation
• Sensory Overload: Excessive sensory stimuli

Factors Influencing Sensory Function

• Age:
  • Hearing typically declines after age 30
  • Children can experience sensory overload from stimuli like loud noises and screen time
• Meaningful Stimuli: Personal objects or images can reduce deprivation, particularly in long-term care
• Amount of Stimuli: Excessive stimuli, especially in children, can cause overload
• Social Interaction: Family and friends can help cope with sensory changes
• Environmental Factors: Exposure to noise, chemicals, or repetitive tasks (e.g., leading to carpal tunnel syndrome)
• Cultural Factors:
  • Higher glaucoma incidence in African Americans
  • Mixed-race children have higher visual impairment rates

Critical Thinking in Sensory Assessment

• Assessment:
  • Identify people at risk and assess current sensory status
  • Gather sensory alteration history
  • Conduct a mental status exam
  • Perform a physical assessment of vision, hearing, taste, and sensation
  • Evaluate ability to perform self-care and health promotion habits
• Environmental Safety:
  • Identify hazards like poor lighting or uneven walkways
  • Ensure hospital safety measures (e.g., call light, bed position)
• Communication Methods:
  • Use face-to-face interaction and aids like pen and paper or dry erase boards
• Social Support and Assistive Devices:
  • Assess social support network
  • Evaluate effectiveness of hearing aids and glasses
• Medication and Perception:
  • Some medications, particularly certain antibiotics, can affect sensory perception

Planning and Outcomes

• Health Promotion:
  • Advise yearly sensory screenings
  • Prevention strategies for children and adults (e.g., avoiding loud noises, limiting screen time)
• Use of Assistive Devices: Encourage proper use of devices like hearing aids and glasses
• Environmental Adaptations:
  • Create safe environments for visual and hearing impairments
  • Ensure proper labeling and safety measures for reduced tactile sensation

Implementation and Evaluation

• Acute Care:
  • Orient patients to their environment
  • Maintain object placement consistency
• Sensory Stimuli Control:
  • Minimize noise
  • Implement safety measures
• Restorative Care:
  • Facilitate healthy lifestyles
  • Support understanding of sensory loss progression
• Evaluation:
  • Assess if outcomes are met from the patient's perspective
  • Continual use of critical thinking models for sensory alterations