Age-related hearing loss is highly prevalent among older adults and has been identified as the largest potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia. Little is known regarding the prevalence of hearing loss and hearing aid use among older adults with dementia, particularly minority older adults with dementia. Overall, few older adults use hearing aids and disparities exist based on race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Barriers to traditional hearing care present additional challenges to older adults with dementia living at home and unaddressed hearing loss may exacerbate behavioral symptoms of dementia and caregiver burden. Community-dwelling adults with a reliable study partner who met diagnostic criteria for dementia were recruited to the Maximizing Independence at Home (MIND) studies. Baseline assessments were obtained, including demographics, cognition (Mini-Mental State Exam; MMSE), and proxy-rated hearing loss and hearing aid use (Psychogeriatric Dependency Rating Scales; PGDRS). The analytic cohort consisted of 647 community-dwelling older adults with dementia in the Greater Baltimore region. Rates of proxy-rated hearing loss vary by age, income, and race/ethnicity, with higher rates of hearing loss among those who are older, of lower income, and White older adults. Among those with hearing loss, rates of hearing aid use vary by age, income, and race/ethnicity, with lower rates among those who are younger, of lower income, and African Americans. Rates of hearing aid use are low; and disparities in hearing aid use exist based on income and race/ethnicity among older adults with dementia and proxy-rated hearing loss in an urban community-dwelling cohort. Large epidemiologic studies with audiometric data and a diverse cohort are needed to characterize existing differences in care. Access to communication is fundamental to daily functioning and quality of life, and hearing care may represent a neglected, yet key, mechanism for strengthening the communication and psychosocial function of older adults with dementia. Disparities in hearing health care in this vulnerable population represent a critical area for research and intervention .
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Nieman et al. (2018) studied this question.
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