Vestibular Disorders Paper

The purpose of this literature review is to show the need for more research into the effectiveness of utilizing sensory therapy with elderly adults living with dementia. There has been a significant amount of research and studies conducted on other mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, however, there is a gap in the research regarding sensory therapy and dementia. Having this research conducted could possibly help with the symptoms associated with this debilitating illness.

Results of the study indicated that subject’s age 65 or older with hearing loss have an increased rate of developing dementia and more rapid decline on psychometric scoring than non-hearing-impaired individuals. After controlling for gender, education, baseline age, and cardiovascular risk factors, hearing loss alone was shown to be a critical, independent predictor of developing dementia. Furthermore, such results suggest that hearing impairment is considered to be a marker for cognitive dysfunction in adult’s age 65 and older. Authors of the study quote: “hearing loss could lead to dementia by making individuals more socially isolated—a known risk factor for dementia and other cognitive disorders.” Additionally, symptoms such as stress, fatigue and depression were also noted and presumed to be early indicators as well as spirals in individuals with hearing

The days seemed to go by slower and slower each day. Empty dark rooms are

The three most prevalent specific disabilities that collectively represented 16% of the total were tinnitus (6.7%), hearing loss (5.3%) and post-traumatic stress disorder (4%).

Since many measures of analysis were found for pre- and post-operatory hearing outcomes (scales and tests), rendering it difficult to compare the results of each author.

In severe attacks of vertigo it is possible to experience sweating diarrhoea and heart palpitations. (NHS, 2012)

Patient is a 58-year-old right-hand white male interviewed in the presence of his wife. He was previously seen by me last month for admission for the acute onset of vertigo with possible TIA or stroke as etiology. He stated that he awoke on 06/18/2015 in his usual state of health and then went to work and while there, he had the sudden onset of marked spinning vertigo. He was unable to walk straight, but denied any bilateral lower extremity weakness. He did have nausea and vomited several times. He initially denied any diplopia, visual field cut, blurred vision, facial asymmetry, facial or body sensory changes, dysarthria, or focal weakness. He continued to have marked vertigo in the emergency room,

Balaban and Thayer 80 provided physiological evidence of the links between the vestibular system and anxiety. They stated that comorbidity of balance disorders and anxiety disorders is most likely due to the shared neural circuits pathways for control of vestibular processing, emotional response, autonomic function, and anxiety 81-83. The center of this circuitry is the parabrachial nucleus network, which is a site of convergence of vestibular and visceral information processing in pathways that appear to be involved in avoidance condition, emotional and autonomic responses, anxiety, and conditioned fear. The shared central neural circuits are linked with system of balance perception and postural control 80.

The patient was seen on June 1, 2015 secondary to vertigo. These symptoms did resolve completely.

* Difficulty hearing sounds which can be a safety concern (unable to hear sirens or alarms)

Tinnitus affects the quality of life negatively as it impacts the daily life and influences older people in a different manner. As a result, many people suffer from emotional problems and depression (explained later) (Gutierrez, 2012). Tinnitus plays a role in individuals’ social life since elderlies become sensitive to certain sounds like ongoing noises and therefore; avoid social situations thus, approximately 30 million older adults suffer from constant tinnitus (Burkey, 2006). (Gutierrez, 2012). As a consequence, they get isolated quickly and felt tinnitus is the obstacle to their overall life (Brinson, 2006). The psychological effect present before the beginning of tinnitus may be significant as many

Vestibular disease is a sudden, non-progressive interruption of balance. It is most commonly seen in older dogs. The animals show signs of acute loss of balance, disorientation, head tilting, and nystagmus. The vestibular disease could be caused by ear infections, trauma, toxins entering the ear, tumors, or hypothyroidism. It could also be an idiopathic disease when no known cause becomes

Vestibular rehabilitation is a treatment method that is commonly known to help reduce dizziness and imbalance in individuals that suffer from inner ear disorders. Researchers have shown that vestibular disorder has an effect on the central nervous system that breaks into two components peripheral and central components which affects individual’s everyday activity. Studies show that vestibular disorder comes from worsened genetic or environmental conditions, or occur for unknown reasons. (.)Vestibular disorder is usually detected in a clinical setting, in which the examiner will go through a thorough history and full examination of the patient. Rehabilitation is available for patients depending on the severity and symptoms he or she may have.

I placed the cotton balls in my ears and walked around to see if having the cotton in my ears would impact my vestibular system, but it did not affect my balance. However, I did feel hyper aware of my surroundings in my home and a little nervous because my hearing was muted. Also, I noticed that I used my eyes a lot more to look around my home to compensate for my muted hearing. I kept feeling like I was going to miss a sound that was going to be important so I needed to use my eyes

converts sound waves in the air, to nerve impulses which are sent to the brain,