Sensory

You are the nurse at a local assisted living center. Your client Is Mrs.

. S.. An 84-year old female client. She wears eyeglasses with bifocal lenses and hearing aid in her left ear.

She walks with a shuffling gait, using a cane for support. She wears house slippers and households. Mrs.. S. States “My doctor says I should have my eyes looked at by an expert.

It’s been a while, and my eyes seem to be acting up lately.

I can’t see so good anymore but It Is expensive to go to eye doctors. And people don’t speak up anymore when they talk. Everyone mumbles. ” The client states that she takes medication for “sugar” and her blood pressure and has worn glasses for years with the last prescription changed about 3 years ago. She states “l was a seamstress for many years but quit when I couldn’t see to thread the needles anymore.

Mrs.. S. Denies using any eye drops. She describes vision changes as difficulty seeing well at night, especially If trying to read.

1 . What are normal vision changes that occur with aging?

Normal vision changes that occur with aging consist of decreased visual acuity, lessened ability to adapt to darkness and dim light, decreased accommodation to see near and far objects, loss of peripheral vision, atrophy of lachrymal glands, and difficulty discriminating similar colors. Presbyters is the inability to focus or accommodate due to a loss of flexibility of the lens, causing decreased near vision. Cataracts are also very common in older adults; they cause the eye to have increased en’s opacity in which reduces visual acuity and causes glares.

Muscular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 65. 2.

What are normal hearing changes that occur with aging? At around age 65, the hearing ability starts to decrease; this is called presbyteries. It harder to hear than lower frequencies. 3. What physiologic conditions may be contributing to her vision loss? She is diabetic, therefore increasing the risk for vision changes; high blood sugar in diabetic patients will cause the eye to swell. Major eye problems that may occur with bathetic are cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retaliation.

She also has high blood pressure, which can cause damage to the eye by damaging the blood vessels that supply the retina.

4. What are safety considerations a nurse could implement to prevent injury because of her vision and hearing loss? Important safety considerations for vision loss are orientating the client to the arrangement of the room furnishings, maintaining adequate room lighting, keeping the room free from clutter and maintaining accessible pathways at all times, making ere the call light is within reach at all times, and assisting with ambulation when needed.

Safety considerations for hearing loss is making sure that there are flashing smoke detectors and an amplified telephone ringer, and making sure to use a telecommunication device for the deaf so the client understands every detail about their care. 5. What are appropriate nursing diagnoses? Risk for Injury related to visual impairment Risk for Injury related to hearing impairment Impaired Verbal Communication related to hearing impairment 6. What are suggestions for communicating with a client with visual or hearing deficits?

Suggestions for communicating with a client with visual or hearing deficits are making sure to always announce your presence upon entering the room, stay in their field of vision, always explain what you are going to do before you do it, explain the sounds in the environment, decrease background noises, speak clearly and with a moderate and normal tone of voice, do not over articulate and make sure to use longer phrases as they tend to be easier to understand, and indicate when the investigation has ended and you are leaving the room.

. What are other nursing interventions that could be implemented to improve her quality of life? Are making sure she schedules an eye exam so she can obtain the correct prescription, provide a magnifying glass, a phone and reading material with larger numbers or print, and making sure her hearing aid is working correctly and efficiently. 8. What community resources would be available to her? Community resources available to her consist of ideology testing and vision screenings can that are performed by the appropriate personnel.