Hearing and Communication Difficulties among the Homebound Population in Israel: A Pilot Study

Background: Most of the homebound population includes older adults. Although one of their most prevalent chronic condition is hearing impairment, they do not receive audiological services.

Objective:The purpose of the present study was to evaluate hearing difficulties in elderly homebound patients.

Method:Hearing level of 27 homebound patients from Meuhedet health services, with a mean age 84 years, was evaluated by air and bone conduction, in addition to completing the following questionnaires: (1) Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly – Screening (HHIE-S, completed by the patient); (2) Hearing Health Care Intervention Readiness (HHCIR, completed by the patient); (3) Hearing Impairment Impact – Significant Other Profile (HII-SOP, completed by a femily member); and (4) Hearing Impairment Impact – Health Care Team ( HII-HCT,completed by a heath care team member) that was designed for the present study.

Results:85% of the patients had bilateral hearing loss. High positive correlations were found between: HHIE-S and HHCIR scores; and between HHIE-S and the HII-HCT scores. Interestingly, most of the patients consented to hearing evaluation and intervention but disagreed to receive hearing aids or assistive listening devices.

Conclusions:These findings should be taken into account in planning hearing intervention programs appropriate to this special population.