Reported Unmet Hearing Aid Need in Older People With Dementia: The US National Core Indicators Survey.
Dana P Urbanski, Jack M Wolf, Benjamin W Langworthy and 3 others
PMID 38643971WHAT IT FOUND
Among older adults without hearing aids, dementia was linked to lower reported need overall, but people with dementia at home were more likely to report needing hearing aids than those in nursing homes.
Key findings
01Older adults with Alzheimer's and related dementias who did not own hearing aids were less likely to report unmet hearing aid need than non-owners without Alzheimer's and related dementias (adjusted odds ratio 0.90).
02Among older adults with Alzheimer's and related dementias who did not own hearing aids, living in an own or family house or apartment was associated with higher odds of reporting unmet hearing aid need than living in a nursing home (adjusted odds ratio 2.29).
03Hearing aid ownership among people with Alzheimer's and related dementias was similar across nursing homes, own or family houses or apartments, and residential care (14.3%, 14.4%, and 14.5%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that residence type caused unmet hearing aid need. It had no audiometric data, so reported hearing aid need could not be checked against measured hearing loss. Alzheimer's and related dementias status came from administrative records or self or proxy report, and some people with dementia may not have been identified. The survey did not include clinical cognitive assessment, so dementia severity could not be analyzed. Some respondents were interviewed by proxy, and proxy respondents had lower odds of reporting unmet need. The data are from 2015 to 2019, before over-the-counter hearing aids were released in 2022. The sample was limited to people receiving publicly funded long-term services and supports in participating states, so it may not represent all older adults.
Declared interests
The supplied text lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. It does not include an author conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that hearing aids improve cognition or behavior in older adults with dementia. This study measured whether people without hearing aids said they needed them, not whether hearing aids helped them, and it had no audiometric or treatment outcome data.