Understanding Hearing Care for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment
Author Information
Author(s): Hope Peter, Nieman Carrie, Blinka Marcela, Lee Paul, Tu Xueting, Wang Natalie, Yasar Sevil, Oh Esther
Primary Institution: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Hypothesis
What are the barriers and facilitators to hearing care among older adults with cognitive impairment and their care partners?
Conclusion
Addressing barriers and promoting affordability and accessibility to hearing care is essential for older adults with cognitive impairment.
Supporting Evidence
- Hearing loss is common among older adults with cognitive impairment.
- Only 30% of participants self-identified as African American.
- Participants reported barriers such as stigma and cost of hearing aids.
- Affordable hearing aids and routine screenings were suggested as facilitators.
Takeaway
Older adults with memory problems often have trouble hearing, and we need to make hearing aids easier to get and more affordable.
Methodology
20 semi-structured interviews with participants and their care partners, analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in self-reported data from participants regarding their hearing difficulties.
Limitations
The study may not represent all older adults with cognitive impairment due to the specific recruitment site.
Participant Demographics
Participants included diverse races and ethnicities, with 30% identifying as African American, 45% male, and 40% having less than a college degree.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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