Association of Multisensory Impairment With Quality of Life and Depression in English Older Adults

Abstract

n many countries including England, the population is aging. 1,2 Sensory impairments are common in later life. In particular, hearing impairment is estimated to affect 22% of English adults aged 50 to 80 years, a figure that increases to 55% in those 75 years and older, 3 and vision impairment affects 12% of English adults 60 years and older. 4 The prevalence of other sensory impairments such as taste, smell, or touch in older English adults is unknown. 5 However, in the United States, smell impairment affects 25% of adults aged 53 to 97 years, 6 and taste impairment affects 15% of US adults aged 57 to 85 years. 7 A poor sensory function can cause wide-ranging problems for the individual, including reduced ability to undertake everyday activities 8,9 ; increased risks of frailty, 10,11 dementia, 12,13 and depression 14,15 ; and reduced quality of life. 16,17 While most previous research has focused on a single sensory impairment, fewer studies have examined relationships of combined sensory impairments, including dual sensory impairments (most commonly combined hearing and vision impairment) with adverse health and well-being in older age. Existing research includes evidence of relationships between dual sensory impairments and symptoms of depression, 18 cognitive impairment, 19 poorer quality of life, 20 and loneliness. 21 Two of these studies did not find interactions between sensory impairments with age, 18,19 whereas 1 study suggested that advanced age (≥80 years) might influence the associations between dual sensory impairments and quality of life. 20 Moreover, having more than 1 sensory impairment has been shown to have worse consequences for health compared with a single sensory impairment. 20,22 IMPORTANCE Sensory acuity tends to decrease with age, but little is known about the relationship between having multiple sensory impairments and well-being in later life. OBJECTIVE To examine associations between concurrent multisensory impairments and aspects of well-being and mental health, namely quality of life and depressive symptoms. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional analysis of participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging wave 8 (May 2016 to June 2017). This is a representative sample of free-living English individuals 52 years and older. Analysis began April 2018. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the association of self-reported concurrent impairments in hearing, vision, smell, and taste with quality of life (0-57 on the 19-item CASP-19 scale; Control, Autonomy, Self-realization and Pleasure) and depressive symptoms (Ն4 items on the 8-item Centre for Epidemiologic Study Depression Scale). RESULTS Using a representative sample of 6147 individuals, 52% (weighted) were women (n = 3455; unweighted, 56%) and the mean (95% CI) age was 66.6 (66.2-67.0) years. Multiple sensory impairments were associated with poorer quality of life and greater odds of depressive symptoms after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle f...

Taste Sensitivity of Elderly People Is Associated with Quality of Life and Inadequate Dietary Intake

“…Aging has been proposed to be related to lower QOL scores due to increased disease risks and social failures [ 61 ]. Lower QOL and more depressive signs of older British people were associated with gustatory changes [ 17 ]. In addition, medications commonly used in elderly people such as cardiovascular, corticosteroids, psychotropic agents, antibacterial agents, and metabolic agents have been suggested to cause taste alteration [ 14 ].…”

“…Quality of life (QOL) has been used as an assessment tool for individuals’ physical, psychological, and environmental circumstances [ 16 ]. Multisensory dysfunctions were associated with lower QOL and depression in the British elderly people aged 52 years and older [ 17 ]. In addition, QOL scores and nutritional conditions were suggested to affect the food choices of elderly people [ 18 ].…”

Association among multimorbidity, physical disability and depression trajectories: a study of urban–rural differences in China

“…According to a survey conducted among 5296 participants in East China, those with multiple chronic diseases were likely to have a depression symptom [24]. In addition, a British study showed that concurrent sensory disorders are associated with a low quality of life and high risk of depression symptoms [25]. Beck's model of depression development suggests that depression symptoms include a negative self-interpretation of an individual's multiple comorbidities [26].…”

Sensory Dysfunction in Old Age

“…Moreover, the OR for the appearance of dementia is 1.49 [1.12; 1.98] with functional impairment in a single sensory modality, 1.91 [1.39; 2.63] with impairment in two, and 2.85 [1.88; 4.30] with impairment in three or more modalities (e2). The simultaneous dysfunction of multiple sensory systems is associated with poorer physical performance ability (e75), and the risk of developing depression is elevated by a factor of 3.36 [2.28; 4.96] if three or more sensory systems are impaired (34).…”