Hearing Loss: Why Does It Matter for Nursing Homes?

McCreedy, Ellen; Weinstein, Barbara E.; Chodosh, Joshua; Blustein, Jeffrey

doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2017.12.007

Cited by 29 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…48 Reports measure the decibels of sound and argue that poorly insulated rooms and noisy environments of rolling carts create 'difficult listening situations' that make speech difficult to understand. 49 The authors reported, 'Residents typically spend many waking hours in high-traffic, high-noise areas: televisions blare, intercoms sound, carts transport equipment, and both residents and staff call out intermittently' 49 (p. 323). The described acoustic environment has three problems: first, not every long-term care facility has this challenge of sound level (my fieldsite, for example, was very quiet by comparison); second, the sources of the high sounds are the same each day, creating what Angus et al 50 called a 'habitual sensory experience' (p. 173), and what Rice 23 described as the static environment typical of a hospital setting; third, the studies do not account for what Graf 51 described as the 'cascade to dependency' that accompanies the functional decline observed in hospitalized older adults (p. 58).…”

Section: Long-term Care As Contested Acoustical Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term care as contested acoustical space: Exploring resident relationships and identitiesinsound

Graham

2019

Building Acoustics

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As the global population ages, residential care facilities are challenged to create positive living environments for people in later life. Health care acoustics are increasingly recognized as a key design factor in the experience of well-being for long-term care residents; however, acoustics are being conceptualized predominantly within the medical model. Just as the modern hospital battles disease with technology, sterility and efficiency, health care acoustics are receiving similar treatment. Materialist efforts towards acoustical separation evoke images of containment, quarantine and control, as if sound was something to be isolated. Sound becomes part of the contested space of long-term care that exists in tension between hospital and home. The move towards acoustical separation denies the social significance of sound in residents’ lives. Sound does not displace care; it emplaces care and the social relationships therein. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork in a Canadian long-term care facility, this article will use a phenomenological lens to explore how relationships are shaped in sound among residents living in long-term care. Ethnographic vignettes illustrate how the free flow of music through the care unit incited collective engagement among residents, reduced barriers to sharing social space and constructed new social identity. The article concludes that residents’ relationships are shaped within the acoustical milieu of the care unit and that to impose acoustical separation between residents’ living spaces may further isolate residents who are already at risk of loneliness.

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Section: Long-term Care As Contested Acoustical Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term care as contested acoustical space: Exploring resident relationships and identitiesinsound

Graham

2019

Building Acoustics

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“…In later stages of dementia, when individuals are residing in supported living environments (e.g., long-term care), SLPs can provide in-house workshops on hearing health and the importance of identification and management of residents' hearing loss and its impact through communication strategies, use and care of existing hearing technology, and environmental modifications (both physical and social). Hearing loss is highly prevalent in these settings, 84,85 yet commensurate levels of care are lacking. 86,87 Reasons for this lack of care include, but are not limited to, staff members' limited knowledge of hearing loss.…”

Section: Collaboration Between Audiologists and Slps: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…87,88 Thus, education becomes a foundational and integral part of improving hearing health care. 85 Models for such initiatives can be found in the research and policy literature related to public schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 89 has published a document on recommendations for promoting hearing health in schools, which includes an emphasis on education, as well as policies to promote hearing health, and routine hearing screenings for all students.…”

Section: Collaboration Between Audiologists and Slps: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dementia and Hearing Loss: Interrelationships and Treatment Considerations

2018

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Hearing loss is common among typically aging older adults and those with dementia. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the relationship between hearing and cognition among older adults, and in hearing loss as a modifiable risk factor for dementia. However, relatively less attention has been focused on the management of hearing loss among individuals with dementia and the key roles of speech-language pathologists and audiologists in providing such care. In this article, the authors review the literature on hearing loss and dementia, and analyze the research evidence for treatment of hearing loss in the context of major neurocognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. This article provides an up-to-date review of research evidence for hearing interventions, as well as recommendations for speech-language pathologists and audiologists to work together to ensure access to hearing health care and increased opportunities for meaningful life engagement for people with dementia and hearing loss.

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“…La ATL se tomó como test de referencia para el diagnóstico definitivo de PA dada su característica de Gold standard (Gates et al, 2003). La presencia de déficit auditivo se determinó hallando la pérdida auditiva media (PTA: Pure Tone Average) en las frecuencias 0.5 kHz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz y 4 kHz, (Clark, 1981), si bien, el umbral de corte para determinar la existencia de PA se situó en 30 dB HL; dada la mayor dificultad que tienen los sujetos con deterioro cognitivo para detectar y reconocer el estímulo sonoro (McCreedy et al, 2018). Se fijaron los siguientes niveles de PA: moderada (rango de pérdida 41 -55 dB HL), moderadamente-severa (pérdida 56 -70 dB HL) y ≥ severa (pérdida ≥ 71 dB HL) (Clark, 1981).…”

Section: Procedimiento E Instrumentosunclassified

Whisper voice test for screening of hearing loss in nursing home residents with cognitive impairmen

Vazquez-Sanchez

Gigirey

2021

EJHR

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Recent studies establish association between hearing loss and cognitive function and evidence exist that hearing damage can exacerbate the negative impact of cognitive impairment in quality of life. Prevalence of hearing loss increases among elderly people living in nursing homes, but the number of residents without hearing aids is high. Whisper voice test is a valid test for screening for hearing impairment. It is frequently used in Primary Care. We applied the voice test in older residents with cognitive impairment and we observed that these subjects failed the repetition of letters. Consequently, we decided to modify the habitual test procedure and employ familiar phrases as screening sound stimulus, on the assumption that they are more easily recognizable. The objective of our study is to establish whether this new technique can be used to screen for hearing loss in older people with mild-moderate cognitive impairment. 62 older residents (mini mental scores > 14) participated in this research. First results reveal that the voice test has high sensitivity and specificity, as well as elevated positive and negative predictive values. The proposed technique could be used as hearing screening tool in a population with similar characteristics.

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Hearing Loss: Why Does It Matter for Nursing Homes?

Cited by 29 publications

References 25 publications

Long-term care as contested acoustical space: Exploring resident relationships and identitiesinsound

Long-term care as contested acoustical space: Exploring resident relationships and identitiesinsound

Dementia and Hearing Loss: Interrelationships and Treatment Considerations

Whisper voice test for screening of hearing loss in nursing home residents with cognitive impairmen

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