External Communication Barriers among Elderly Deaf and Hard of Hearing People in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Isolation: A Qualitative Study

Di Xu, Chu Yan, Ziqing Zhao, Jiaying Weng and Shiwen Ma
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Di Xu: School of Journalism and Information Communication, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Chu Yan: School of Journalism and Information Communication, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Ziqing Zhao: School of Journalism and Information Communication, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Jiaying Weng: School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
Shiwen Ma: School of Journalism and Information Communication, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-13

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great risk to older people with hearing impairment, who face a higher threshold of external communication after the implementation of the emergency isolation policy. As part of a study on the optimization of external communication among the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) population in central China, this study employed a qualitative research method based on in-depth interviews to explore the needs and difficulties faced by the older DHH group in external communication during public health emergencies in Wuhan, China, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that older DHH people had weak reception of critical information about the epidemic, and had suboptimal access to medical care during emergency quarantine, which increased interpersonal communication barriers to this group. The current findings highlight the urgent need for targeted strengthening of the original emergency communication and coordination mechanisms in public health emergencies, and for improving policy inclusiveness for older DHH individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic and emergencies alike.

Keywords: elderly deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people; COVID-19; emergency isolation; external communication barriers; Wuhan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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