Foundations of an intervention package to improve communication in residential care settings: A mixed methods study

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of hearing loss is considerably higher in individuals in residential care than in people within the community-dwelling population, and yet hearing aids and hearing services are relatively underused. Care staff have a key role in supporting access to services. Objectives: This study identifies staff perspectives on hearing loss and their views about potential hearing service improvements. Study design: A four-stage mixed methods study was used, made up of qualitative interviews, observation, a survey and a stakeholder involvement meeting. Results: The qualitative stages indicated that staff were concerned about their levels of interaction with residents. Staff considered maximizing communication as part of their professional role. The quantitative survey indicated that these views were widely held by staff, and the stakeholder stage identified the need for social support and dedicated staff training opportunities. Conclusion: Care home staff regard communication as a shared issue. Future interventions could enhance access to hearing services and provide care home staff with training in hearing loss and hearing aid management.

Key words::

• hearing loss
• elderly
• older people
• communication
• care staff

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Amr El Refaie for assistance with the questionnaire development, Melanie Ward and Carole White for providing access to the care homes and all our participants for their contribution.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

This work was funded by a grant from the Sir Halley Stewart Trust.