Hearing and Vision in Healthy Older Australians: Objective and Self-Report Measures

Abstract

The full extent of hearing and vision impairments in older Australians and their effects on communication is not well known. The aims of the present study were to (1) determine the prevalence of hearing and vision impairments in a sample of older Australians, (2) investigate the nature of hearing and vision difficulties experienced in everyday life, and (3) compare the results obtained using objective and self-report assessments. The prevalence of hearing and vision impairments were 57% and 28%, respectively, while 19% of participants had a dual sensory loss. More participants reported vision difficulties (35%) than had a measured impairment, whereas the percentage of participants who reported hearing difficulties (55%) was similar to the prevalence of objectively measured hearing impairment. However, there was extensive “mismatching” in that participants reporting difficulty were frequently not those who had objectively measured impairment. The finding that approximately one in five older Australians has a dual sensory loss highlights the need to assess both hearing and vision in older people in order to provide appropriate rehabilitation. The results also indicate that these sensory conditions should be evaluated both objectively and subjectively in order to obtain accurate and complete information about an individual's performance.