NATIVE ELDER CAREGIVER CURRICULUM NECC: 1.2 SENSORY CHANGES Caring for Our Elders: Sensory Changes Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes 1.2
Sensory Changes Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes Sensory Changes can come from: “Normal” Changes in specific sense organs Eyes, nose, skin, ears, brain Effects of illness & disease Effects of medications
Sensory Changes Important to “compensate” for the changes in sensory systems Many strategies are useful & effective ! Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes 1.2 3
Sensory Changes: Vision Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes Vision Changes Cornea thicker and less curved Increase in astigmatism Lens no longer clear, but cloudy Cataracts
Sensory Changes: Vision Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes Presbyopia Loss of lens “accommodation” Lens of eye will not automatically adjust anymore Hold newspaper at arm’s length Some loss of “near” vision
Sensory Changes: Vision Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes Vision Changes Pupils do not always react normally More difficulty with perception difficulty with adjusting to changes in light
Sensory Changes: Vision Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes “Common” Changes Nearsighted Can’t see far away Farsighted Can’t see close up Astigmatism Can cause “blurry” vision
Sensory Changes: Vision Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes Decreased Dark Adaptation Not able to see well in the dark Require much more light to see than in earlier years
Sensory Changes: Vision Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes Vision: Disease or Illness Diabetic retinopathy Macular degeneration Glaucoma Changes resulting from stroke Infections
Sensory Changes: Hearing One-third of people over age 65 have hearing loss “presbycusis” Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Sensory Changes: Hearing Difficulty “localizing” sounds Hard to figure out where sounds are coming from Hearing Loss is related to loss of nerve cells & changes in inner ear Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Sensory Changes: Hearing Difficulty especially with loss of hearing high frequency sounds Interferes with hearing and understanding what people are saying Especially hard to hear “sh”, “s”, “f” Can really hurt communication ! Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Sensory Changes: Smell & Taste Sense of smell: “normal” decrease after age 60 Serious change in ability to detect smells after age 80 Can interfere with nutrition as part of taste Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Sensory Changes: Smell & Taste Can be a safety hazard if not able to detect toxic smells Smoke Food that has “gone bad” or spoiled Other fumes Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Sensory Changes: Taste Does not decrease as much as the sense of smell Need more concentrated flavors Decreased number of “taste buds” Decreased saliva Saliva contains amylase which helps with recognition of “sweet” tastes Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Sensory Changes: Touch Decreased or Increased sensitivity to touch & pressure Anything that interferes with the nervous system can affect the sense of touch Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Sensory Changes: Proprioception Decreased “automatic” sense of position of the body and the parts of the body Depends on “information” from the inner ear, along with information from the joints and ligaments Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Sensory Changes: Proprioception “Proprioception ” As with touch perception, anything that interferes with the nervous system can interfere with proprioception Very important in sense of balance !! Falls are a serious problem !!! Prevention of falls important!!! Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Sensory Changes: Pain Perception of pain can be either increased or decreased Depends on many things Must be assessed for each person IMPORTANT to manage pain to prevent depression, inactivity, loss of independence in ADL’s Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Sensory Changes Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes
Caring for our Elders: Sensory Changes