Self-Reported Sensory Decline in Older Adults Is Longitudinally Associated With Both Modality-General and Modality-Specific Factors

Abstract

Background and Objectives Self-reported sensory data provide important insight into an individual’s perception of sensory ability. It remains unclear what factors predict longitudinal change in self-reported sensory ability across multiple modalities during healthy ageing. This study examined these associations in a cohort of older adults for vision, hearing, taste and smell. Research Design and Methods Data on self-report sensory ability were drawn from 5,065 participants of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (mean age at baseline = 61.6, SD = 9.5, range 32 – 93 years; 59% female; resident in the Republic of Ireland) across six waves of data collection (2009 – 2021). Covariates included demographics, lifestyle factors and measures of sensory-, physical- mental- and cognitive health. Independent discrete survival analyses were performed for each sensory modality. Results A transition to self-reported fair/poor hearing was most prevalent (21% of the sample), followed by fair/poor vision (19%), smell (11%) and taste (6%). Participants who self-reported fair/poor function in one sensory modality were likely to report fair/poor ability in another sensory modality, although not for all pairings. Only self-rated fair/poor health was associated with increased odds of self-reported fair/poor ability across all sensory modalities. Age was associated with increased odds of self-reported fair/poor hearing, smell and taste as was current smoker status (vision, smell and taste). Several other sensory (e.g., eye disease, hearing aid use) and non-sensory covariates (e.g., education, depression) were associated with the odds of self-reported fair/poor ability in one or two sensory modalities only. Discussion and Implications Over time, older adults perceive associations in fair/poor ability for multiple sensory modalities, albeit somewhat inconsistently. Both modality-general and modality-specific factors are associated with a transition from normal to fair/poor sensory ability. These results suggest the need for more routine testing of multiple senses with increasing age.

The evaluation of clinical factors affecting oral health impacts on the quality of life of Iranian elderly patients visiting dental clinics: A cross‐sectional study

“…Elderly people who do not experience bitterness are less likely to experience unpleasant tastes from medications or dry mouth, improving their quality of life. 12,41,43 The results of the study revealed that neither the age nor the gender of the participants significantly impacted their OHRQoL, aligning with findings in studies by Kim, Paredes-Rodríguez, and Mendes 45,46 Coley et al 45 found that women often report lower quality of life and poorer self-reported health compared to men. This could be due to a variety of factors, including differences in social circumstances, such as less access to social support, and socioeconomic factors like occupation and income level.…”

“…In a conducted study by Doty et al., 41 under 50 years old, only 13.5% displayed sour‐bitter confusion, while over 68 years old, 30.7% displayed this type of confusion. Elderly people who do not experience bitterness are less likely to experience unpleasant tastes from medications or dry mouth, improving their quality of life 12,41,43 …”

Relationship between tinnitus and olfactory dysfunction: audiovisual, olfactory, and medical examinations

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“…Many reports have described age-related sensory dysfunctions regarding vision, hearing, smell, and taste. However, there have been fewer studies investigating the relationships among these senses ( 1 , 2 ). Oleszkiewicz et al ( 3 ) reported alterations in gustatory sensitivity and taste preferences in individuals with blindness or deafness.…”