Objective: Most older adults express the wish to live at home as long as possible, thus autonomy promoting measures are essential. Hearing and visual impairments are common among older people, and they have been consistently associated with functional disability. However, longitudinal data are scarce, notably regarding dual sensory impairments (both in hearing and vision). We aimed at assessing the relationship between hearing, visual, and dual sensory impairments, and subsequent decline in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).
Design: Longitudinal.
Setting: the French E3N-elderly sub-cohort.
Participants: 4,010 community-dwelling older women born between 1925 and 1930, and free of IADL limitations in 2006.
Measurements: Hearing and visual impairments were self-reported in 2006. IADLs were evaluated in 2006 and 2010.
Results: After 4 years of follow-up, 588 women became limited in their IADLs. In logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders, odds ratios [95% confidence interval] for developing IADL limitations were 1.18 [0.98; 1.41], 1.98 [1.26; 3.11], and 2.61 [1.50; 4.54] for hearing, visual, or both sensory impairments respectively, compared with no sensory impairment at baseline.
Conclusion: Results suggest that among autonomous older women, visual, and to a lesser extent, hearing impairment, have a short-term negative impact on their ability to perform daily activities, with some evidence of a multiplicative effect between sensory impairments. Appropriate evaluation and management of sensory impaired elderly, and more particularly those with dual impairments, may contribute to prevent disability in aging.
Keywords: IADL; Women; cohort; dual sensory impairment; hearing; vision.