Changes in Senses of

Older Person
Aging changes in the senses
• As you age, the way your senses (hearing,
vision, taste, smell, touch) give you
information about the world changes. Your
senses become less sharp, and this can
make it harder for you to notice details.
• Two organs that have big impact to elderly
are vision and hearing
•Sensory changes can affect your lifestyle.
You may have problems communicating,
enjoying activities, and staying involved
with people. Sensory changes can lead to
isolation.
• Senses receive information from the environment- can
be in the form of sound, light, smells, tastes, and
touch. Sensory information is converted into nerve
signals that are carried to the brain. There, the signals
are turned into meaningful sensations.
• A certain amount of stimulation is required before you
become aware of a sensation. This minimum level of
sensation is called the threshold. Aging raises this
threshold.- need more stimulation to be aware of the
sensation
•Aging can affect all of the senses, hearing
and vision are most affected. Devices such
as glasses and hearing aids, or lifestyle
changes can improve your ability to hear
and see.
 Hearing
Ears have two jobs.:
1. Hearing occurs after sound vibrations
cross the eardrum to the inner ear. The
vibrations are changed into nerve signals in
the inner ear and are carried to the brain by
the auditory nerve.
2. Balance (equilibrium) is controlled in the
inner ear. Fluid and small hair in the inner ear
stimulate the auditory nerve. This helps the
brain maintain balance.
Age-related hearing loss is called
presbycusis. It affects both ears. Hearing,
often the ability to hear high-frequency
sounds, may decline. You may also have
trouble telling the difference between certain
sounds. Or, you may have problems hearing
a conversation when there is background
noise.
• One way to manage hearing loss is by
getting fitted with hearing aids.
• Persistent, abnormal ear noise (tinnitus) is another
common problem in older adults-causes may
include wax buildup or medicines that damage
structures inside the ear.
• Impacted ear wax can also cause trouble hearing
and is common with age. Your provider can remove
impacted ear wax.
 Environmental modifications
( hearing impairment)
1. Eliminate background noise
2. Enhance your voice- do not shout
3. It is best to face, not talk behind patients-
lip read and observe facial expression
4. Use gestures and body language may
also give visual clues to the conversation
5. It they request to repeat what you said,
try rephrasing your statement rather purely
repeating the same words
Vision
1. As you age, the sharpness of your vision (visual
acuity) gradually declines. The most common
problem is difficulty focusing the eyes on close-up
objects. This condition is called presbyopia or
farsightedness. Reading glasses, bifocal glasses,
or contact lenses can help correct presbyopia.
2. Decrease in adaptability to change in
light. For example, glare from a shiny floor in
a sunlit room can make it difficult to get
around indoors. You may have trouble
adapting to darkness or bright light. Problems
with glare, brightness, and darkness may
make you give up driving at night.
3. With aging, the gel-like substance
(vitreous) inside your eye starts to shrink.
This can create small particles called floaters in
your field of vision. In most cases, floaters do
not reduce your vision.
4. Reduced peripheral vision (side vision) is
common in older people. This can limit activity
and ability to interact with others.
5. Weakened eye muscles may prevent you
from moving your eyes in all directions. It
may be hard to look upward. The area in
which objects can be seen (visual field)
gets smaller.
Common eye disorders that cause vision
changes that are NOT normal include:
1. Cataracts -- clouding or opacity of the
lens of the eye
Most common cause of adult blindness
2. Glaucoma -- rise in fluid pressure in the
eye results from blockage in the drainage of
aqueous humor
3. Senile Macular degeneration- disease
in the macula (responsible for central
vision) that causes vision loss
 results from decrease blood supply,
accumulation of waste products and tissue
atrophy.
4. Diabetic Retinopathy -- disease in the retina
often caused by diabetes or high blood pressure
In diabetes, blood flow to the retina is
diminished, resulting to retinal degeneration.
Promoting good vision
1. Decrease environmental risk , such
prolonged exposure of ultraviolet lights.
2.Regular biannual check up of visual
functioning
3. Distinguish among optician, an optometrists
and an ophthalmologists.
• Biannual check up-see an ophthalmologist
• Ophthalmologist- medical doctor who
specializes in the care and management of
eye problem
• Optometrist- one who refracts one’s eyes to
determine the best kind of eyeglasses to use
• Optician—fits, adjusts and dispenses
eyeglasses and contact lenses prescribed by
optometrists and ophthalmologists
TASTE AND SMELL

•They are 10,000 taste buds- sense sweet,

salty, sour, bitter, and umami flavors.
Umami is a taste linked with foods that
contain glutamate, such as the seasoning
monosodium glutamate (MSG).
•Smell and taste play a role in food
enjoyment and safety. A delicious meal or
pleasant aroma can improve social
interaction and enjoyment of life. Smell
and taste also allow you to detect danger,
such as spoiled food, gases, and smoke.
• The number of taste buds decreases as you age.
Each remaining taste bud also begins to shrink.
• Sensitivity to the five tastes often declines after age
60. In addition, your mouth produces less saliva as
you age. This can cause dry mouth, which can
affect your sense of taste.
• Sense of smell can also diminish, especially
after age 70. This may be related to a loss of
nerve endings and less mucus production in
the nose. Mucus helps odors stay in the
nose long enough to be detected by the
nerve endings. It also helps clear odors from
the nerve endings.
• Certain things can speed up the loss of taste
and smell. These include diseases, smoking,
and exposure to harmful particles in the air.
• Decreased taste and smell can lessen
interest and enjoyment in eating.
TOUCH, VIBRATION, AND PAIN
• The sense of touch makes you aware of
pain, temperature, pressure, vibration, and
body position.
• Skin, muscles, tendons, joints, and internal
organs have nerve endings (receptors) that
detect these sensations.
• Some receptors give the brain information about
the position and condition of internal organs.
Though you may not be aware of this information, it
helps to identify changes (for example, the pain of
appendicitis).
• Health problems, such as a lack of certain
nutrients, can also cause sensation changes. Brain
surgery, problems in the brain, confusion, and
nerve damage from injury or long-term (chronic)
diseases such as diabetes can also result in
sensation changes.
• Symptoms of changed sensation vary based on
the cause. With decreased temperature
sensitivity, it can be hard to tell the difference
between cool and cold and hot and warm. This
can increase the risk of injury from frostbite,
hypothermia (dangerously low body
temperature), and burns.
• Reduced ability to detect vibration, touch,
and pressure increases the risk of injuries,
including pressure ulcers (skin sores that
develop when pressure cuts off blood supply
to the area).
•After age 50, many people have reduced
sensitivity to pain. Or you may feel and
recognize pain, but it does not bother you.
For example, when you are injured, you
may not know how severe the injury is
because the pain does not trouble you.
• Check the thermometer to decide how to dress,
rather than waiting until you feel overheated or
chilled.
• Inspect the skin, especially your feet, for
injuries. If you find an injury, treat it. DO NOT
assume the injury is not serious because the
area is not painful.
References
• https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004013.htm#:~:text=As%20you
%20age%2C%20the%20way,changes%20can%20affect%20your%20lif
estyle.
• https://www.rush.edu/health-wellness/discover-health/how-senses-
change-age
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/aging/how-our-senses-change-
with-age
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2579627/
References
Books
1. Ebersole, P and Hess (2014) Geriatric Nursing and healthy Aging.
Missouri: Mosby Inc.
2. Miller, C .(2015). Nursing care of Older Adults:Theory and Practice.
4th Edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
Scott , et al (2001). Causes and Treatments of hearing loss,
visionproblems.Retrieved1 December 2004 from http://www.ec-
online.net.