Describing hearing loss as a risk factor for dementia is “true under the strict epidemiologic definition of ‘risk,’” but the lay public may misunderstand risk as implying “a warning about an impending adverse event.”
Supporting Older Patients With Hearing Loss
Identifying age-related hearing loss issues and knowing the warning signs are important for any clinician.
Nurturing Self-Advocacy by Learning How to Speak Up
As self-advocates, we will speak up for ourselves and our peers, learn who supports us, where and how to access information, know our rights and responsibilities, make our own choices, and advocate for our group’s rights.
A Hearing Care Consumer’s Thoughts on OTC Hearing Aids
Logic would seem to say Americans, especially the young and seniors, will opt for OTC devices. On the other hand, logic does not seem to apply when comparing current adoption statistics from other countries where hearing aids are steeply discounted or even free.
How Pharmacists Can Help Bridge the Gap in Hearing Care for Seniors
After reviewing the literature on pharmacy, audiology, and their integration, this paper aims to provide pharmacists with education on hearing loss that colleagues in audiology believe is most critical for pharmacists.
Postural and Head Control Given Different Environmental Contexts
Fall risk in people with hearing loss has been shown in older adults, and our pilot data suggest balance impairments in people with single-sided hearing are more likely to arise in older participants with moderate dizziness.
The USPSTF Sticks to Its Recommendation: No Hearing Screenings for Older Adults
As in its draft recommendation released a few months earlier (which I wrote about), the USPSTF “concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for hearing in older adults.”
Staying Vital
My father is an avid concertgoer who turned 61 in February, and I’ve been trying for more than two years—since I joined the team at Hearing Health Foundation (HHF)—to convince him to get his hearing tested.
Hearing Better Through the Ages
If you’re diagnosed with a hearing loss, remember: Hearing loss is not only very common, it’s also very treatable! A licensed audiologist or hearing healthcare professional can discuss options with you, including hearing aids and assistive listening devices.
Study Suggests that Nursing Homes Ignore Residents’ Hearing Loss
By Robert Polner
Over the past decade, hearing loss has emerged as a key issue in aging and health. The problem affects over 80% of people aged 80 and over. Hearing loss is associated with social isolation, depression, and cognitive impairment --- all problems that are common among nursing home residents.
Yet the problem of hearing loss has not received much attention in the nursing home world.
Photo Credit: Senior Guidance
“Hearing loss is often seen as an inevitable consequence of aging,” said Professor Jan Blustein, M.D., Ph.D., professor of health policy and management at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the senior author of a study published today (Jan. 30) in The BMJ. “Many people just don’t appreciate how much hearing loss disrupts understanding and communication, and what a toll that takes in the lives of vulnerable older people.”
Prior studies in single nursing homes have shown that staff are often unaware that residents are having difficulty hearing. But Blustein and her colleagues found that this appears to be a national trend. Using data that all US nursing homes are required to report to the federal government known as the Minimum Data Set (MDS), the researchers found that in 2016, over two-thirds (68%) of long-stay nursing home residents over the age of 70 reportedly had adequate hearing, meaning that “they had no difficulty in normal conversation, social interaction, or listening to TV.” The researchers compared this with previously reported data on elderly people outside of nursing homes, and argue that the reported rate in nursing homes is implausibly low.
“While prior small studies have shown that nursing home staff underestimate hearing problems, the data strongly point to a national problem,” said Blustein.
According to co-author and geriatrician Joshua Chodosh, M.D. of the NYU School of Medicine, recognition and treatment of hearing loss is “low hanging fruit for those who care for elderly people. Once you’re aware that hearing loss may be a problem, there are many ways to help,” said Chodosh. “Speaking clearly and facing the person when you talk is a good way to start. But patients should be referred to an audiologist. If buying hearing aids is within financial reach, that may be a good step. But there are other low-cost hearing assistance solutions such as pocket amplifiers that cost about $150 that can be very helpful in communicating with older people with hearing loss.”
As Blustein notes, “Hearing loss disrupts communication, leaving those affected especially vulnerable to social isolation and depression. Nursing homes could make a big difference in residents’ lives by attending to the issue. This would not only be good clinical practice; it would also be compliant with the law, since the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that homes offer ‘effective communication’ with residents.”
This press release was republished with permission from NYU. View the original article here.