BackgroundVision and hearing impairments in the elderly (aged over 80 years) and poor indoor lighting conditions in a home-care setting are risk factors for functional decline, reduced social participation, withdrawal, and accidents.ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the changes in vision, hearing, and lighting conditions in the homes of participants aged over 80 years after implementation of a clinical intervention.MethodsWe undertook an exploratory randomized, controlled experimental study of sensory impairments and lighting conditions in the homes of elderly aged over 80 years who received home care. The intervention group (IG) received advice and encouragement to improve their vision, hearing, and indoor lighting conditions in the home, with a 10-week follow-up period. The control group (CG) received their usual care and underwent the same vision and hearing tests but were provided no intervention.ResultsVision and hearing (self-assessed) and tested by Wilcoxon rank-sum test were significantly better (P=0.025 and P=0.008, respectively) in the IG after the intervention and follow-up. The test between the groups showed a significance of P=0.026 for visual acuity and P=0.098 for pure-tone average. The maximum and minimum lighting levels were significantly improved in the IG after the intervention (P=0.002 and P=0.039, respectively) but were unchanged in the CG.ConclusionSeveral of the IG participants did not follow all of the advice; however, among those who did, vision, hearing, and lighting conditions were all significantly improved. It appears that modest interventions have great potential for improving vision and hearing. Older patients in the home-care setting cannot be expected to take the necessary action to improve their sensory impairments by themselves. They require close monitoring, help from a specialist, and help to improve the indoor lighting conditions in their homes.

BackgroundHearing and vision impairments increase with age and are common risk factors for functional decline reduced social participation and withdrawal.ObjectiveDescribe the hearing and vision of home care patients older than 80 years.MethodsNinety-three older adults (80+ years) receiving home care were screened for hearing and vision in their homes. Data were collected using a HEINE Mini 3000® Otoscope to examine the eardrum and presence of earwax, an Entomed SA201-IV portable pure-tone audiometer to measure the pure-tone average (PTAV), a logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution chart to measure visual acuity (VA), and the Combined Serious Sensory Impairment interview guide.ResultsSlight and moderate hearing impairments were found in 41% and 47% of the population, respectively (mean PTAV =40.4 dB for the better ear), and 40% and 56% had impaired and slightly impaired vision, respectively (mean VA =0.45 for the better eye). The participants’ self-assessments of hearing and vision were only weakly correlated with PTAV and VA values. The visual function was significantly worse in men than in women (P=0.033). Difficulty in performing instrumental activities of daily living because of hearing and vision impairments was experienced by 17% of the participants, whereas 76% experienced no difficulties. When many people were present, 72% of the participants found it difficult to understand speech. Nearly 30% found it tiring to read, and 41% could not read very small print.ConclusionThe patients’ self-assessments of their hearing and vision did not correlate strongly with their VA and PTAV scores. Asking the elderly about their overall hearing and vision ability is not sufficient for detecting sensory impairment, and asking more specific questions about what they could not hear and see was not an adequate indicator of the patients’ hearing and vision problems. To detect hearing and vision impairments among elderly home care patients, standardized measurements of their hearing and vision are necessary.

Vision and hearing abilities are crucially important to managing daily living. In addition to treatments for suppressing the further development of existing diseases, standardised tests could be a good starting point for health prevention and promotion. Nurses should apply standardised tests to detect sensory impairments in older people.

Introduction The severity of age‐related hearing and vision impairments increases with age. Such sensory impairments are risk factors for functional decline, reduced social participation, withdrawal, depression and accidents, and hence they make people vulnerable and adversely affect their quality of life. Aim The aim of this study was to explore how the oldest old recipients of home care experience sensory impairments in daily life. Design An inductive, descriptive research design was used. Method Ten recipients of home care with a mean age of 89 years were interviewed in their homes. The study was implemented in accordance with the suggestions from Elo and Kyngäs for inductive content analysis. Findings The main theme concerned acceptance and adjustment in daily life. Subcategories concerning the category of reduced hearing were identified as “acceptable though annoying” and “hesitant about using hearing aids.” Subcategories concerning the category of reduced vision were “reading is increasingly challenging” and “living with vision diseases.” The third category of feeling weak was elucidated in the subcategories “troublesome bodily changes” and “strenuous days with limited energy.” Conclusions It is imperative to recognise that the oldest old are in a distinct phase of the lifespan. Despite this population being aware of their hearing and vision impairments, they do not always have the strength to alter the situation. Instead they accept it; they often struggle with more serious health challenges. Therefore, they are not prioritising using their limited energy reserves to try to improve or optimise their hearing and vision impairments themselves. Implications for practice The oldest old with sensory impairments cannot be expected to perform all the necessary activities of daily living or address their functional sensory impairments. Close monitoring and assistance need to be applied to the oldest old.

Purpose Hearing and vision loss are common in later life but often overlooked and undertreated. The study aims to examine hearing and vision as part of preventive home visits (PHV) among 76-year-old home-dwelling citizens in Tórshavn, the capital of Faroe Islands. Patients and Methods In this cross-sectional study, three specially trained nurses conducted the examinations and tests, for this purpose, in the community health-centre. Results A total of 74 individuals participated (56% participation rate) of whom 77% had some degree of hearing impairment, 89% had visual impairment and 22% had dual sensory loss. A significant correlation between self-reported hearing ability and clinical findings was found, whereas self-reported vision did not correlate significantly with test-results. Conclusion Results indicate that implementing clinical assessments of hearing and vision as part of preventive home visits would benefit people receiving visits, and society by helping maintain the conditions that allow them to stay in their own homes for as long as possible.