2025/02/24 by Gravel, Carolin, Budke, Naëmi, Schäfer, Karolin
#Hörverlustprävention #Hörversorgung #Medicine and health #Presbyakusis #hearing care #hearing-loss prevention #hochaltrige Personen #long-term care facilities #older adults #presbycusis #stationäre Pflegeeinrichtungen
paper · doi:10.3205/zaud000066
Background: Increasing demographic change suggests that hearing should be recognized as an important component of health and quality of life, especially in old age. Studies indicate that the likelihood of hearing loss increases with age. This makes the topic of “hearing and communication” particularly relevant for the care sector. However, little research has been done to date on how ear health and hearing care is presented to senior citizens and how the issue is addressed in German long-term care facilities. The prevention programme “Hearing and communication in long-term care facilities” (duration 2021–2024) addresses this research gap. Methods: The implementation of the prevention programme and the data collection takes place in N=75 long-term care facilities in Bavaria. Four fields of action and the target groups involved are addressed: 1. Structural analysis regarding the topic of “hearing and communication”, 2. Training of employees, 3. Room acoustics accessibility, 4. Healthy hearing of residents. Several survey materials, e.g. questionnaires and checklists, were developed for quantitative data collection within the fields of action. A descriptive evaluation is carried out. Results: The interim results from N=55 institutions from the project period 10/2021–12/2023 were included in the evaluations presented here. With regard to the room acoustics component, it can be stated that only 1.4% of the rooms inspected can be classified as hearing acoustically accessible. The hearing tests revealed, among other things, that 38.9% of the residents tested had at least one ear impacted with earwax. Conclusion: The collection and evaluation of the data from the prevention programme will make an important contribution to the assessment of the hearing health of people with age-related hearing loss, which is still receiving little attention. A follow-up study at the end of the programme will examine the extent to which recommendations for improving the hearing situation have been implemented. A systemic approach appears promising, which includes the important personal and environmental structures.