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“There are children playing in the streets who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago.”
– J. Robert Oppenheimer
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this chapter, readers will be able to:
10-1. Apply knowledge of vision changes that occur in older adults with resultant physical and behavioral compensation.
10-2. Analyze how common age-related hearing changes affect function in the older adult.
10-3. Evaluate how chemosensory changes affect functional performance in the aging population.
10-4. Relate the common presentations of the somesthesis and integumentary systems of the older adult to functional performance and lifestyle issues.
10-5. Evaluate pain presentations in older adults and assess pain’s impact on functional performance.
10-6. Create assessment and intervention strategies that serve to improve function for older adults with sensory impairment.
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Mini Case Study
Shirley Rosen is 75 years old. She retired at age 62 from her position as a receptionist at an office within walking distance from her home. When her husband died 5 years ago, she returned to part-time work at her previous place of employment and shares a position with another woman who works part-time. Typically, Mrs. Rosen walks the two blocks to work when the weather permits; otherwise, she drives herself to work. Recently, she has begun requesting rides to work due to intermittent pain and numbness in her lower extremities making it difficult to walk long distances and drive. Mrs. Rosen’s coworkers notice she frequently asks people to repeat themselves when on the telephone, and she is often squinting when looking at the computer. Sometimes Mrs. Rosen wears a wool jacket during the summer months, because she finds the office too cold with the air conditioning. Judy Johnson, a long-time friend, has noted that when they go out to lunch, Mrs. Rosen takes small bites of her food, does not eat all her meal, and seems to have lost pleasure in eating. Often, when Judy makes a comment to Mrs. Rosen, she will smile and nod her head, but this response does not match Judy’s comment. Judy wonders if Mrs. Rosen is developing dementia.
Provocative Questions
How might a sensory impairment influence how others perceive an older adult’s (such as Mrs. Rosen’s) cognitive and psychological health?
How does the social and physical environment of an older adult (such as Mrs. Rosen) support or hinder function in the context of pain or sensory changes due to aging?
How might impaired sensory conditions affect dietary choices and, consequently, overall health?
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Our bodies receive sensory information about the physical world through generalized and specialized sensory receptors. These receptors begin functioning in utero in most cases and, beginning in early adulthood, start a slow and progressive decline (Cech & Martin, 2012). The “senses” (vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell), or systems of sensation, send information via a sensory modality in the ...