Identify major disorders of the eye, ear, and other sensory organs.

Identification should include

• use of diagnostic tests
• diseases and abnormal conditions (e.g., signs and symptoms, nursing care, treatment, prognosis).

Refer to Units VII and X in Nurse Aide Curriculum Links to an external site., Virginia Board of Nursing, Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2018.

Process/Skill Questions:

• What are the different sensory pathways, and how would you summarize the parts of each pathway?
• What are the characteristics of sensation?
• What is the physiology of the special senses of taste, smell, touch, temperature, proprioception, and pain?
• How does this information enter the body, reach the brain, and affect response?
• What is the role of the hypothalamus in the visceral sensations of hunger and thirst?
• What is the pathway of sound waves through the ear as they travel to the brain?
• What is the significance of the location of the eustachian tubes?
• Where are the arterial receptors located?
• What is the role of each in maintaining homeostasis?
• How does aging affect the sensory system?
• What can be done to reduce the effects of aging on the sensory system?