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Hearing Assessment in Homes for the Aged: A Comparison of Audiometric and Self‐report Methods
Author(s) -
CORBIN SANDRA,
REED MARILYN,
NOBBS HOLLY,
EASTWOOD KIRSTEN,
EASTWOOD M. ROBIN
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1984.tb02047.x
Subject(s) - medicine , audiologist , audiology , audiometry , hearing loss , otorhinolaryngology , population , hearing problems , psychiatry , environmental health
A comparison of audiometric and interview methods to identify hearing impaired elderly was made as part of a study of the relationship between hearing impairment and mental disorders of old age. Of 84 residents of a Home for the Aged examined by an Otolaryngologist and tested by an audiologist, reports of hearing status were incongruent in 41% of the cases. Only 36 residents (43% of the sample) were initially judged capable of reliable response to interview. Twenty‐two residents (26% of the sample) described hearing problems consistent with the type and degree of loss defined audiometrically. The frequency and clinical significance of hearing loss and the questionable reliability of self‐report on hearing argue for inclusion of audiometry in the routine assessment of this population.