Abstract
BackgroundLife-space mobility reflects individuals’ actual mobility and engagement with society. Difficulty in hearing is common among older adults and can complicate participation in everyday activities, thus restricting life-space mobility. The aim of this study was to examine whether self-reported hearing predicts changes in life-space mobility among older adults.MethodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study of community-dwelling older adults aged 75–90 years (n = 848). At-home face-to-face interviews at baseline and telephone follow-up were used. Participants responded to standardized questions on perceived hearing at baseline. Life-space mobility (the University of Alabama at Birmingham Life-Space Assessment, LSA, range 0–120) was assessed at baseline and one and two years thereafter. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the effect of hearing difficulties on changes in LSA scores.ResultsAt baseline, participants with major hearing difficulties had a significantly lower life-space mobility score than those without hearing difficulties (mean 54, 95 % CI 50–58 vs. 57, 95 % CI 53–61, p = .040). Over the 2-year follow-up, the life-space mobility score declined in all hearing categories in a similar rate (main effect of time p < .001, group x time p = .164). Participants with mild or major hearing difficulties at baseline had significantly higher odds for restricted life-space (LSA score < 60) at two years (OR 1.8, 95 % CI 1.0–3.2 and 2.0, 95 % CI 1.0–3.9, respectively) compared to those without hearing difficulties. The analyses were adjusted for chronic conditions, age, sex and cognitive functioning.ConclusionsPeople with major hearing difficulties had lower life-space mobility scores at baseline but did not exhibit accelerated decline over the follow-up compared to those without hearing difficulties. Life-space mobility describes older people’s possibilities for participating in out-of-home activities and access to community amenities, which are important building blocks of quality of life in old age. Early recognition of hearing difficulties may help prevent life-space restriction.
Highlights
Life-space mobility reflects individuals’ actual mobility and engagement with society
Baseline results The median age of all the participants (n = 848) was 80.0 years at baseline and 62 % of the participants were women
There were no differences in distribution of hearing difficulties at the baseline between those participants who were followed and those who were lost during the follow-up
Summary
Life-space mobility reflects individuals’ actual mobility and engagement with society. Difficulty in hearing is common among older adults and can complicate participation in everyday activities, restricting life-space mobility. The aim of this study was to examine whether self-reported hearing predicts changes in life-space mobility among older adults. Difficulty in hearing is common among older adults [1]. Previous studies have suggested that hearing difficulties can complicate engagement in everyday life situations; especially those requiring communication with other people [8, 9]. Difficulty in following conversations is one of the most common worries among older adults [10], especially in challenging listening conditions such as in the presence of background noise or sound-reverberating environments [11]. It has been shown that older people with hearing difficulty experience more walking difficulties [12, 13], poorer postural balance, higher risk for falls [14] and fear of falling [15], than those without hearing impairment, factors which may compromise possibilities for participation in everyday activities
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