Development and Psychometric Properties of a Standardized Assessment for Adults who are Deaf-Blind

Dalby, Dawn M.; Hirdes, John P.; Stolee, Paul; Strong, Jenny; Poss, Jeff; Tjam, Erin Y.; Bowman, Lindsay C.; Ashworth, Melody

doi:10.1177/0145482x0910300103

Cited by 32 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…For example, the presence of DSI was defined using the Deafblind Severity Index (DbSI). [ 32 ] It includes two items, one each on functional hearing and vision. The hearing item asks the assessor to rate the person’s hearing, with an appliance in place (e.g., hearing aid) if that is typically used, during the previous three days.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Health and Well-Being of Older Adults with Dual Sensory Impairment (DSI) in Four Countries

et al. 2016

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ObjectivesDual sensory impairment (DSI) is a combination of vision and hearing impairments that represents a unique disability affecting all aspects of a person’s life. The rates of DSI are expected to increase due to population aging, yet little is known about DSI among older adults (65+). The prevalence of DSI and client characteristics were examined among two groups, namely, older adults receiving home care services or those residing in a long-term care (LTC) facility in four countries (Canada, US, Finland, Belgium).MethodsExisting data, using an interRAI assessment, were analyzed to compare older adults with DSI to all others across demographic characteristics, functional and psychosocial outcomes.ResultsIn home care, the prevalence of DSI across the four countries ranged from 13.4% to 24.6%; in LTC facilities, it ranged from 9.7% to 33.9%. Clients with DSI were more likely to be 85+, have moderate/severe cognitive impairment, impairments in activities of daily living, and have communication difficulties. Among residents of LTC facilities, individuals with DSI were more likely to be 85+ and more likely have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Having DSI increased the likelihood of depression in both care settings, but after adjusting for other factors, it remained significant only in the home care sample.ConclusionsWhile the prevalence of DSI cross nationally is similar to that of other illnesses such as diabetes, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease, we have a limited understanding of its affects among older adults. Raising awareness of this unique disability is imperative to insure that individuals receive the necessary rehabilitation and supportive services to improve their level of independence and quality of life.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Health and Well-Being of Older Adults with Dual Sensory Impairment (DSI) in Four Countries

et al. 2016

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“…Dalby et al. 21 described 182 participants with congenital or acquired deaf‐blindness whereby 30.2% self‐reported being severely impaired in both senses and 48.3% described themselves as severely impaired in one sensory modality and mildly or moderately impaired in the other, as measured by the Deafblind Severity Index 22 . This measure provides valuable information about the subjective level of perceived functioning; however, since no behavioral measures of visual or hearing status were provided, it is not possible at this time to compare the perceived level of impairment with the objective eligibility criteria for rehabilitation services, or evaluate to which level one is a good indicator of the other.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensory and demographic characteristics of deafblindness rehabilitation clients in Montréal, Canada

Wittich

Watanabe

Gagné

2012

Ophthalmic Physiologic Optic

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The age distribution in this sample of persons with dual sensory impairment indicates that service delivery planning will need to strongly consider the growing presence of older adults as the baby-boomers approach retirement age. The distribution of their visual and auditory limits indicates that the large majority of this client group has residual vision and hearing that can be maximized in the rehabilitation process in order to restore functional abilities and social participation. Future research in this area should identify the specific priorities in both rehabilitation and research in individuals affected with combined vision and hearing loss.

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“…The Deafblind Supplement includes roughly 150 items that provide further detailed information related to the person’s vision and hearing, including visual acuity, the reason and timing of the vision/hearing loss, orientation and mobility skills, communication, mood, behaviour, psychosocial well-being and formal and informal service use [10]. The assessment has been shown to have good reliability and validity [7,8]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Deafblind Severity Index (DbSI) is a relatively new scale that assesses the degree of impairment in both vision and hearing and ranges from 0 (no impairment in either sense) to 5 (severe impairment in both senses). Persons with severe DSL have been shown to have greater difficulty interacting with others and performing IADLs [8]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of a case-mix funding system for adults with combined vision and hearing loss

Guthrie

Poss

2013

BMC Health Serv Res

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BackgroundAdults with vision and hearing loss, or dual sensory loss (DSL), present with a wide range of needs and abilities. This creates many challenges when attempting to set the most appropriate and equitable funding levels. Case-mix (CM) funding models represent one method for understanding client characteristics that correlate with resource intensity.MethodsA CM model was developed based on a derivation sample (n = 182) and tested with a replication sample (n = 135) of adults aged 18+ with known DSL who were living in the community. All items within the CM model came from a standardized, multidimensional assessment, the interRAI Community Health Assessment and the Deafblind Supplement. The main outcome was a summary of formal and informal service costs which included intervenor and interpreter support, in-home nursing, personal support and rehabilitation services. Informal costs were estimated based on a wage rate of half that for a professional service provider ($10/hour). Decision-tree analysis was used to create groups with homogeneous resource utilization.ResultsThe resulting CM model had 9 terminal nodes. The CM index (CMI) showed a 35-fold range for total costs. In both the derivation and replication sample, 4 groups (out of a total of 18 or 22.2%) had a coefficient of variation value that exceeded the overall level of variation. Explained variance in the derivation sample was 67.7% for total costs versus 28.2% in the replication sample. A strong correlation was observed between the CMI values in the two samples (r = 0.82; p = 0.006).ConclusionsThe derived CM funding model for adults with DSL differentiates resource intensity across 9 main groups and in both datasets there is evidence that these CM groups appropriately identify clients based on need for formal and informal support.

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Development and Psychometric Properties of a Standardized Assessment for Adults who are Deaf-Blind

Cited by 32 publications

References 22 publications

The Health and Well-Being of Older Adults with Dual Sensory Impairment (DSI) in Four Countries

The Health and Well-Being of Older Adults with Dual Sensory Impairment (DSI) in Four Countries

Sensory and demographic characteristics of deafblindness rehabilitation clients in Montréal, Canada

Development of a case-mix funding system for adults with combined vision and hearing loss

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