Sensory Impairment and the Odds of Adverse Consequences of Unmet Needs for Care Among Older Adults

Corinne Pittman, Carrie L Nieman, Nicholas S Reed, Bonnielin K Swenor and Amber Willink

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2022, vol. 77, issue 5, 983-991

Abstract: ObjectivesVision and hearing impairments are highly prevalent conditions among older adults, and well-established links exist between sensory impairment and household, mobility, and self-care activity limitations. However, studies examining the impact of unmet long-term services and supports (LTSS) needs have not considered the role of vision and hearing impairment on the risk of experiencing adverse consequences, including wetting or soiling oneself.MethodUsing Rounds 1 and 5 of the National Health and Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative survey of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older, we examine the association of vision and hearing impairment on the odds of experiencing an adverse consequence while accounting for other sociodemographic and health status factors.ResultsAmong a weighted population of 49,770,947 community-living older adults with limitations in household, mobility, or self-care activities, 20.1% (95% CI: 19.2–21.0) experienced an adverse consequence as a result of unmet LTSS needs. In the fully adjusted regression, individuals with vision or hearing impairment had 96% (odds ratio [OR]: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.64–2.34) and 43% increased odds (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.24–1.65), respectively, of experiencing any adverse consequence. Hearing impairment was associated with higher odds of household or self-care adverse consequences, while vision impairment was associated with higher odds of mobility or self-care adverse consequences.DiscussionSensory impairment may increase the risk for adverse consequences for older adults with unmet LTSS needs. Activities that support older adults living safely in the community should consider the role of sensory impairment and how to address the unique needs of those with hearing or vision impairment.

Keywords: Hearing impairment; Long-term services and support; Vision impairment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbab065 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:geronb:v:77:y:2022:i:5:p:983-991.

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://academic.oup.com/journals

Access Statistics for this article

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is currently edited by Psychological Sciences - S. Duke Han, PhD and Social Sciences - Jessica A Kelley, PhD, FGSA

More articles in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B from The Gerontological Society of America Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Oxford University Press ().