Approximately one fifth of the non-institutionalized elderly meet the criteria for PI. Those affected present a poorer state of psychological and social well-being, although level of autonomy for conducting basic and instrumental activities does not appear to be modified by the disorder. The existence of an anxiety disorder, low life satisfaction and consumption of psychopharmaceuticals constitute variables associated with PI in the population we studied.

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Our results provide a true picture of the prevalence of insomnia in older adults on the basis of diagnostic criteria and indicate that it is a widespread, significant health problem. The peculiarities of PI, SDMD and SDMC need to be appropriately differentiated in clinical practice, and each needs a different approach to obtain the best outcome.

PURPOSE We wanted to design and validate the Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities (HDDA) Scale as a means of identifying the impact of hearing loss in older persons by measuring capacity to carry out hearing-dependent activities. METHODSWe undertook a cross-sectional, observational study to validate a scale administered during a personal interview with 1,160 participants aged 65 years and older. When using the instrument to identify patients with hearing impairment, sensitivity and specifi city were determined using an audiogram with Ventry and Weinstein criteria as the criterion standard. Standardized audiometries were performed blindly, without knowledge of results of the HDDA Scale. RESULTSAccording to the criterion standard, 506 participants had hearing impairment (43.6%; 95% confi dence interval [CI], 40.8%-46.5%). The HDDA scale showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.91). Regarding hearing impairment criteria, the HDDA scale obtained a sensitivity of 80.0% (95% CI, 76.3%-83.3%) and a specifi city of 70.2% (95% CI, 66.5%-73.5%). CONCLUSIONSThe HDDA scale constitutes a clinically useful instrument for identifying the impact of hearing loss on daily life in the elderly, a condition frequently overlooked during routine medical check-ups. This tool has acceptable psychometric properties and high internal consistency.