Reported Unmet Hearing Aid Need in Older People With Dementia: The US National Core Indicators Survey

Dana P Urbanski; Jack M Wolf; Benjamin W Langworthy; Romil R Parikh; Eric Jutkowitz; Tetyana P Shippee

doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2024.03.107

Reported Unmet Hearing Aid Need in Older People With Dementia: The US National Core Indicators Survey

J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2024 May;25(5):853-859. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2024.03.107. Epub 2024 Apr 18.

Authors

Dana P Urbanski¹, Jack M Wolf², Benjamin W Langworthy², Romil R Parikh³, Eric Jutkowitz⁴, Tetyana P Shippee³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA. Electronic address: urban343@umn.edu.
² Division of Biostatistics, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
³ Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
⁴ Department of Health Services, Policy & Practice, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA; Center of Innovation in Long Term Services and Supports, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA; Evidence Synthesis Program Center Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA.

PMID: 38643971
DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2024.03.107

Abstract

Objectives: Hearing aids have important health benefits for older adults with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD); however, hearing aid adoption in this group is low. This study aimed to determine where to target hearing aid interventions for American long-term care recipients with ADRD by examining the association of ADRD and residence type with respondent-reported unmet hearing aid need.

Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional study used data from the United States National Core Indicators-Aging and Disabilities survey (2015-2019) for long-term care recipients aged ≥65 years.

Methods: We used multivariable logistic regression to model the likelihood of reporting unmet hearing aid need conditional on ADRD status and residence type (own/family house or apartment, residential care, or nursing facility/home), adjusting for sociodemographic factors and response type (self vs proxy).

Results: Of the 25,492 respondents [median (IQR) age, 77 (71, 84) years; 7074 (27.8%) male], 5442 (21.4%) had ADRD and 3659 (14.4%) owned hearing aids. Residence types were 17,004 (66.8%) own/family house or apartment, 4966 (19.5%) residential care, and 3522 (13.8%) nursing home. Among non-hearing aid owners, ADRD [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.90, 95% CI 0.80-1.0] and residence type were associated with respondent-reported unmet hearing aid need. Compared to the nursing home reference group, respondents in their own/family home (AOR 1.85, 95% CI 1.61-2.13) and residential care (AOR 1.30, 95% CI 1.10-1.53) were more likely to report unmet hearing aid need. This pattern was significantly more pronounced in people with ADRD than in those without, stemming from an interaction between ADRD and residence type.

Conclusions and implications: American long-term care recipients with ADRD living in their own/family home are more likely to report unmet hearing aid need than those with ADRD in institutional and congregate settings. This information can inform the design and delivery of hearing interventions for older adults with ADRD.

Keywords: ADRD; Hearing aids; age-related hearing loss; community-dwelling; institutionalized; older adults.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dementia* / therapy
Female
Health Services Needs and Demand
Hearing Aids* / statistics & numerical data
Hearing Loss / therapy
Humans
Long-Term Care
Male
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States