Inclusion of Older Adults Who Experience Homelessness in Laboratory-Based Audiology Research: a Feasibility Study.
Jing Shen, Bridget E Weller, Jeanette Calvario Perales
PMID 34935647WHAT IT FOUND
Only 11 of 22 older adults experiencing homelessness who signed up came to the lab.
All 11 completed hearing testing, but for two it took twice the usual time and was not reliable. 54.5% had hearing loss.
Key findings
01Only 11 of 22 people who signed up came to the lab, and all 11 completed the audiometric test.
02Among participants, 54.5% had hearing loss, 54.5% reported a history of traumatic brain injury, and 50% of those with hearing loss denied any hearing difficulty.
03Two participants could not stay awake for more than a few minutes, needed approximately twice the usual time, and could not be tested reliably.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 11 people came to the lab, so the percentages describe a very small group and may not apply to other shelters or communities. Recruitment came from one daytime shelter serving mostly Black individuals, and the researchers could not estimate how many possible participants were available. The study did not include qualitative interviews, so it may miss reasons for not attending or other barriers that participants would describe. Two participants could not complete reliable hearing testing because they could not stay awake, so alertness may limit laboratory-based assessment. The sample included only 2 women, and the authors said the small sample makes interpretation difficult.
Declared interests
The article is marked as supported by NIH extramural research. The supplied text does not include an author conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that laboratory-based audiology research is broadly feasible for older adults experiencing homelessness. Only 11 of 22 people who signed up came to the lab, two could not complete reliable hearing testing, and the study did not test whether a treatment works.