Abstract
BackgroundHearing and vision loss in older people has been proven to affect physical and mental health and increase the speed of cognitive decline. Studies have demonstrated that certain practices and improved staff knowledge increase the effective care of residents’ ears and eyes, yet it is not known which practices are being implemented in care homes. This study aimed to identify the gaps in staff knowledge regarding hearing and vision difficulties in older residents, and which practices known to improve ear and eye care in older care home residents are not commonly implemented in care homes in England.MethodsThis study used a cross-sectional survey design. Survey questions were informed by the existing literature and were focused on practices, staff knowledge, and other aspects that have shown to affect residents’ hearing and vision care. A convenience sample of care home staff were recruited from care homes across England between November 2018 and February 2019 via email and in paper format. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square analysis were applied to identify the factors influencing the care being provided to care home residents.ResultsA total of 400 care home staff responded from 74 care homes. The results revealed that less than half of staff respondents reported to use screening tools to identify hearing (46%) and vision impairments (43.8%); that care homes rarely have access to other assistive devices for hearing (16%) and vision loss (23.8%), and that audiology services do not regularly assess care home residents (46.8%). A majority of staff who responded were not confident in ear and eye care. Responses were found to be influenced by the respondents’ job role, length of time working in care homes and also the care home type. Findings confirmed a lack of standardised practice and the importance of shared communication for promulgation of best practice.ConclusionThis study has identified that some practices known to facilitate ear and eye care are not commonly applied in a sample of English care homes. It has also shown that care home staff knowledge of ear and eye care is inconsistent. The information derived from this survey can be used to inform guidelines for best practice and inform needs for future research.
Highlights
Hearing and vision loss in older people has been proven to affect physical and mental health and increase the speed of cognitive decline
The consequences can significantly negatively affect residents’ quality of life; this includes physical health, mental health, and opportunities for social interaction [3, 9, 10]. Despite these acknowledged impacts there is still a lack of focus on sensory impairment identification and management in older people in care homes. Evidence suggests that this can be due to the common perception by care home staff and residents that hearing and vision loss are normal aspects associated with ageing [8]; This contributes towards hearing and vision loss becoming hidden health issues within this population
Some respondents noted they worked in a care home caring especially for those living with dementia (16/ 4%)
Summary
Hearing and vision loss in older people has been proven to affect physical and mental health and increase the speed of cognitive decline. The consequences can significantly negatively affect residents’ quality of life; this includes physical health, mental health, and opportunities for social interaction [3, 9, 10] Despite these acknowledged impacts there is still a lack of focus on sensory impairment identification and management in older people in care homes. Evidence suggests that this can be due to the common perception by care home staff and residents that hearing and vision loss are normal aspects associated with ageing [8]; This contributes towards hearing and vision loss becoming hidden health issues within this population
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