Review article
THE IMPACT OF HEARING IMPAIRMENT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTH AND COGNITIVE DIFFICULTIES IN THE ELDERLY: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND THE PROPOSED DIRECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION
MARIN ŠUBARIĆ
; University North, University Centre Varaždin, Department of Nursing, Varaždin, Croatia
TOMISLAV MEŠTROVIĆ
; University North, University Centre Varaždin, Department of Nursing, Varaždin, Croatia; Dr. Zora Profozić Polyclinic, Zagreb, Croatia
TINA CIKAČ
; University North, University Centre Varaždin, Department of Nursing, Varaždin, Croatia
MARIJANA NEUBERG
; University North, University Centre Varaždin, Department of Nursing, Varaždin, Croatia
Abstract
Hearing loss is associated with negative effects on the quality of life, especially in the domain of social and emotional
communication aptness, with the problem being particularly conspicuous in old age when it can also be linked to cognitive impairment. In addition, elderly individuals who are still working realize that hearing loss is not just an aging problem, since maintaining good hearing is indispensable for workplace effectiveness. Given the substantial prevalence of hearingimpaired, non-rehabilitated individuals, both in the unverifi ed and audiologically verifi ed elderly population, it is pivotal to make additional efforts in order to increase the awareness of the benefi ts of hearing aids. Consequently, a multidisciplinary public health approach is warranted to address this highly neglected issue. One of the salient directions to tackle this problem would be increased audiological screening of the population within the primary health care arena, in order to identify the potential candidates for hearing rehabilitation. Another direction is to design a national program for early detection of hearing loss in the population over the age of 50 by utilizing available public health system and network, which will subsequently (i.e., with the use of educational programs) raise awareness regarding the treatment and rehabilitation of hearing-impaired individuals. The third line of action would be to conduct randomized controlled studies aimed not only towards hearing aid acceptance, wearing and satisfaction data gathering, but also to examine the parameters that are indicators of overall health improvement, such as emotional and social functioning, communication skills and cognitive abilities.
Keywords
elderly; hearing loss; hearing aids; audiology; public health
Hrčak ID:
259274
URI
Publication date:
19.6.2021.
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