Question

The nursing student is caring for a client with a diagnosis of presbycusis. The nursing instructor determines that the student understands presbycusis when which statement is made?

Option 1: "It's a loss of vision associated with aging."
Option 2: "A loss of balance occurs with presbycusis."
Option 3: "Presbycusis is a conductive hearing loss that occurs with aging."
Option 4: "It's a sensorineural hearing loss that occurs with the aging process."

Answer 1

The correct statement about presbycusis is that it is a sensorineural hearing loss associated with aging, as indicated in Option 4.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student demonstrates understanding of presbycusis with the statement that "It's a sensorineural hearing loss that occurs with the aging process." This is Option 4 of the provided choices. Presbycusis is indeed a type of hearing loss which predominantly affects the ability to hear higher frequencies as one ages and is not associated with balance issues or a conductive mechanism, but rather with the sensorineural components of the auditory system. Sensorineural hearing loss can result from age-related changes in the inner ear structures, such as hair cells in the organ of Corti and auditory nerve function, conditions not amenable to correction through traditional hearing aids but sometimes managed with cochlear implants in severe cases.