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Use of signage, colored bracelets, and/or socks helps all staff visually identify if a patient is at risk for falls.Įnsuring a patient consistently wears their eyewear will assist them to more effectively use their vision for balance and mobility. However, patients rarely recognize these deficits, and because of the protective role of nociceptors, such. Additionally, physical therapists are trained in vestibular rehabilitation. Sensory dysfunction involves two types of symptoms: negative and positive sensory phenomena.2 A negative sensory phenomenon is an expression of a deficit of sensory function such as loss of warm or cold sensation or hypalgesia.
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This training often includes ways to compensate for sensory impairments that may interfere with the safety of these tasks. Physical therapists (PTs) assess and train patients in the performance of mobility tasks such as transfers and ambulation. Additionally, some OTs are specially trained in rehabilitation strategies for people with low vision.Ĭommunication strategies during patient education may need to be adapted in order to compensate for hearing or visual impairment. Occupational therapists (OTs) assess and train patients in the performance of activities of daily living, such as dressing, grooming, bathing, and toileting. Improve the patient’s ability to use vision for balance and see potential obstacles in their path. The use of devices to enhance hearing can make patient education and communication with the patient more effective. Transfer important information about a patient’s fall risk to another staff member caring for that patient.
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A list of interventions that may be of benefit to these patients include: Potential Intervention These impairments may be long-standing for the patient, or may be acute changes due to the patient’s current medical condition. Others have hearing or visual impairments that may make patient education more challenging. A stimulus reaches a physiological threshold when it is strong enough to excite sensory receptors and send nerve impulses to the brain: This is an absolute.
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Some patients have impairments in visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems that negatively impact their balance during mobility and activities of daily living.
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