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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Prevalence of hearing loss among people aged 65 years and over
— screening and hearing aid provision | | Author(s) | P S Wilson, D M Fleming, I Donaldson |
| Journal title | British Journal of General Practice, vol 43, October 1993 |
| Pages | pp 406-409 |
| Keywords | Hearing Impairment ; Screening ; Hearing aids ; Health clinics ; Birmingham. |
| Annotation | The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of hearing loss among people aged 65 and over, and to offer hearing aids where necessary. The study was carried out in a large health centre practice in Birmingham with a computerised record system. All patients aged 65 and a 20% random sample of patients aged 66 and over were invited for interview. They were questioned about hearing loss and examined audiometrically. All patients with a hearing loss in the better ear of 35 decibels or more over the speech frequencies were offered a hearing aid. A total of 322 patients attended (72% of those invited), and of these, 34 patients already had a hearing aid. A further 142 were identified for whom a hearing aid was recommended; 69 accepted. The acceptance rate was higher among men than women (57% compared with 43%). 61 patients (19% of those screened) had an asymmetrical hearing loss, and of these 24 required consultant assessment; none had serious underlying pathology. There is a large unmet need for hearing aid provision. Simple audiometric assessment in health centres provides an opportunity to meet this need. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-991223011 A |
| Classmark | BV: 3V: M8: L6: 87E * |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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