Sensory Functioning Flashcards
(17 cards)
_____ give meaning to events in the environment.
Sensory stimuli
COMPONENTS OF SENSORY EXPERIENCE
_____ The process of receiving stimuli or data.
_____ Involves the conscious organization and translation of the data or stimuli into meaningful information.
Sensory Reception
Sensory Perception
Types of External Stimuli
Visual (sight)
Auditory (hearing)
Gustatory (taste)
Olfactory (smell)
Tactile (touch)
Types of Internal Stimuli
- _____ (can be internal as well)
- _____ - refers to awareness of the position and movement of body parts.
- _____ - the ability to perceive and understand an object through touch
by its size, shape, and texture
3._____ - refers to stimuli produced by the visceral organs that make a person aware of them.
- Gustatory
- Kinesthetic
- Stereognosis - Visceral
Aspects of Sensory Perception:
a. _____ - an agent or act that stimulates a nerve receptor.
b. _____ - a nerve cell acts as a receptor by converting the stimulus to a nerve impulse.
c. _____ - the impulse travels along nerve pathways either to the spinal cord or directly to the brain.
d. _____. Perception, or awareness and interpretation of stimuli, takes place in the brain, where specialized brain cells interpret the nature and quality of the sensory stimuli. The client’s level of consciousness affects the perception of the stimuli.
Stimulus
Receptor
Impulse conduction
Perception
_____
- The state in which the brain must be alert in order to receive and interpret stimuli.
- Mediated by the Reticular Activating System (RAS) in the brainstem.
RAS Components:
o _____- responsible for arousal and wakefulness
o _____
Arousal
components:
Reticular Excitatory Area (REA)
Reticular Inhibitory Area (RIA)
The term used to describe the state in which a person is in optimal arousal.
SENSORISTASIS
The ability to perceive internal and external stimuli, and to respond appropriately through thought and action.
Awareness
STATES OF AWARENESS
_____: Alert; oriented to time, place, person; understands verbal and written words.
_____: Not oriented to time, place, or person
Reduced awareness, easily bewildered; poor memory, misinterprets stimuli; impaired judgment.
_____: Extreme drowsiness but will respond to stimuli
_____: Can be aroused by extreme or repeated stimuli Will not respond to verbal stimuli
Full consciousness
Disoriented
Confused
Somnolent
Semicomatose
Coma
FACTORS AFFECTING SENSORY FUNCTION
Developmental Stage
Culture
Level of Stress
Medications and Illness
Lifestyle and Personality
A lack of culturally assistive, supportive, or facilitative acts.
Cultural deprivation or cultural care deprivation
SENSORY ALTERATIONS
_____ A decrease in or lack of meaningful stimuli.
_____ Generally, it occurs when a person is unable to process or manage the amount or intensity of sensory stimuli.
_____ An impaired reception, perception, or both, of one or more of the senses.
SENSORY DEPRIVATION
SENSORY OVERLOAD
SENSORY DEFICITS
NURSING MANAGEMENT: ASSESSING
Nursing History
Mental Status Examination
Physical Examination
Identification of Clients at Risk
Client’s Environment
Client’s Social Support Network
Specific Sensory Tests
o _____ (using Snellen chart or other reading material such as newspaper) and
visual fields
o _____ – observe client’s conversation with others; perform Whisper test, and
Weber and Rinne tuning fork tests
o _____ – ask to identify specific aromas
o _____ – ask to identify three tastes such as lemon, salt, sugar
Visual acuity
Hearing acuity
Olfactory sense
Gustatory sense
NURSING MANAGEMENT: DIAGNOSING
_____ Abrupt onset of reversible disturbances of consciousness, attention, cognition, and perception that develop over a short period of time.
_____ Irreversible, long-standing, and/or progressive deterioration of intellect and personality. Characterized by decreased ability to interpret environmental stimuli, decreased capacity for intellectual thought processes.
_____ Inability to remember or recall bits of information or behavior skills.
_____ At risk for alterations in consciousness, attention, cognition, and perception that develops over a short time period.
_____ Perception Problem as the Etiology
Acute Confusion
Chronic Confusion
Impaired Memory
Risk for Acute Confusion
Sensory
Sensory – Perception Problem as the Etiology
a. _____
o Declining visual abilities
b. _____
o Altered level of consciousness
o Hearing impairment
o Sensory overload
o Sensory deprivation
c. _____
o Altered tactile sensation
d. _____
o Visual impairment (e.g., decreased depth perception)
o Reduced tactile sensation secondary to neurologic or circulatory alterations
o Decreased sense of smell
o Hearing impairment
o Decreased kinesthetic sense
e. _____
o Impaired vision
o Impaired hearing
Impaired Home Maintenance
Impaired Verbal Communication
Risk for Impaired Skin Integrity
Risk for Injury
Social Isolation
IMPLEMENTING
Promoting Healthy Sensory Function
Managing Acute Sensory Impairments
Adjusting Environmental Stimuli
