Abstract: Hearing is the most commonly sensory defect in the elderly population it directly cause a severe effect on the quality of life of the patient. Especially in the elderly, damage to hearing effect the exchange of information, thoughts thus significantly influences everyday life, causing frustration, and anxiety, isolation, as well as communication difficulties. Difficulties in hearing may cause social and health problem. Damage to hearing with age (presbycusis) is raising problem that may results in the deviation in the social, emotional, physical problems and has a significant impact on the quality of life of every aging person. Increment of presbycusis cannot be healed; therefore valuable management of this problem not only needs early identification and reestablishment, but it also include an assessment of quality of life.
Objective: To assess the impact of hearing loss on quality of life of the patients with regards to emotional and social problems that they face.
Patients and methods: In the present study the sample comprised of 60 hearing impaired elderly participants (40 males and 20 females), age range 60 - 75years, having moderately severe to profound hearing loss. All participants belong to low socioeconomic group. Among 60 participants, 45 illiterate and 15 have primary education. All the participants were dependent on their family income. The average family income was Rs.4000-9000 monthly. All Hindi speaking participants were taken for the present research for better communication.
Results: The data were analyzed under four domains physical, social/personal, environmental and psychological. Physical health domain were evaluated through seven indicators including pain, dependence on medical aids, energy, mobility, sleep and rest, activities of daily living, and work capacity more than 70% participants show positive preferred to any kind of physical activity, which means that most of the person have sufficient amount of energy for daily work.
Conclusions: Hearing loss is associated with important adverse effects on the quality of life of elderly persons. Hearing impairment is the sensory impairment which creates a difficulty in the life of people. From the present study it is concluded that hearing loss effect psychological and environmental domain like due to lack of money, lack of access to health services which is degrading the management of hearing impaired people for this we need to conduct counselling programmes and create awareness about the schemes provided by the government so that they can afford the suitable hearing aid and other benefit and can able to cope up with their problem and accept their problem and did not feel anxiety and depression due to hearing loss. The present study can be continued with more participants
Keywords: Quality of life, Hearing loss, Counselling.
Title: Impact of Hearing Loss on Quality of Life among Hearing Impaired Geriatric Population
Author: Ms. Kalyani, Dr. Pubalin Dash
International Journal of Life Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-313X (Print), ISSN 2348-3148 (online)
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