Sensory Case Study 
Nursing Fundamentals
Case Study-Sensory
Directions
Please read the case study.
Scenario/Prompt
Case Study- 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 housedress. 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 "I 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 lacrimal glands, and difficulty discriminating similar colors. Presbyopia 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 lens opacity in which reduces visual acuity and causes glares. Macular 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 presbycusis. It is more common in men than women. Higher
Case Study-Sensory
Directions
Please read the case study.
Scenario/Prompt
Case Study- 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 housedress. 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 "I 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 lacrimal glands, and difficulty discriminating similar colors. Presbyopia 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 lens opacity in which reduces visual acuity and causes glares. Macular 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 presbycusis. It is more common in men than women. Higher