Age-related hearing loss and communication at a PACE Day Health Center

Abstract

For the nearly 2/3 of adults over 70 years old with hearing loss 1 , trying to understand speech in a noisy environment can be difficult and may lead to social withdrawal. 2,3 Given the importance of social engagement to healthy aging 4 , enhancing communication for adults is important. The Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a comprehensive healthcare program for adults who are ≥ 55 years, nursing home eligible, and living in the community at time of enrollment. This setting is ideal for exploring the functional impact of hearing loss on a group of older adults and staff due to the holistic approach to care, which includes meals, social activities, and recreation therapy. The goal of this qualitative study was to evaluate the hearing loss burden and communication needs of participants and staff at the Day Health Center (DHC) in order to develop a meaningful staff training and communication intervention that addressed the group needs-both observed and expressed. Methods Focus Groups.Three focus groups were offered to all DHC staff (n=63). Fourteen staff members, including but not limited to medical technicians, recreation, transportation, and rehabilitatists,

Experiences of people with dual sensory loss in various areas of life: A qualitative study

“…Previous studies investigating mobility in individuals with a visual impairment found that they experience challenges in unknown locations [29], a finding that is confirmed by this study. A common problem reported by individuals with hearing loss is that understanding PLOS ONE speech in crowded settings is considered very difficult [30], which is also confirmed by this study. Moreover, some participants mentioned communication breakdown (i.e.…”

The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in Improving Medical Surgical and Mental Health Care: a Literature Review

“…The PACE program can provide a good understanding of care giver perceptions in communicating with patients and overcoming the difficulties of communication disorders (Mamo et al, 2018). Through observation, scenarios can be cataloged which will help create training to improve communication.…”

“…Elderly with dementia (disabilities) are particularly at risk for adverse health outcomes, and the best model of care has yet to be determined (Chen et al, 2020). A good holistic care model to empower every individual in society to improve the quality of care needs to be recommended (Chen et al, 2017;WHO, 2017) comprehensive health care programs such as the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) for adults and the elderly (Mamo et al, 2018).…”

“…The reasons for the PACE care service program not being optimal include comprehensive and long-term care services that have not been properly integrated (Oishi et al, 2019); Utilization service health care in hospitals, emergency departments, and outpatient settings for the elderly is not optimal (Morton, Prichett, & McNabney, 2020). The impact of the non-maximum model of medical surgical and mental health care services is decreasing holistic approach to treatment such as eating, social activities, and recreational therapy (Mamo et al, 2018);…”

“…One effort to improve the PACE service model includes increasing social engagement and communication (Mamo et al, 2018), empowering patients consistently while receiving medical and social services (Sellers, 2011); Promote integrated and coordinated care models with policy makers to support health care (Oishi et al, 2019).…”