Research shows that people over the age of 90 have major hearing problems

A study from the University of Gothenburg examined a barely studied group in the context of hearing: people over 90. When it comes to age and hearing problems, we often talk about younger elderly people (65-79 years) and older elderly people (80 years and older). ). The focus is rarely just on people aged 90 and over; an age group that is growing rapidly.

The current study used standardized hearing test methods, which are rarely used in the 1990s. The tests were conducted at each participant’s home, which was a prerequisite for conducting the study. The study is published in the International Journal of Audiology.

The strength of the study is not its size – the number of participants was limited to 91 people – but the fact that the study systematically had a wider reach; that the seriously ill and those in residential care were not excluded, and that the testing methods were the same as those used in other age groups.

High risk of hearing loss

The driving force behind the study is Åsa Winzell Juhlin, a Ph.D. student at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and audiologist at the Hearing Care Center in Gothenburg.

“In the 90+ age group, hearing health is extremely important for both physical and mental health. Hearing loss can lead to increased isolation, depression, dementia and an increased risk of falls. At the same time, this group is essentially unexplored in terms of hearing ability using standardized tests,” she notes.

No one in the group studied had normal hearing; 80% had hearing loss to a degree that indicated the need for hearing aids or other interventions; and 30% had occlusive earwax in one or both ears. The gradual occlusion of earwax can further impair hearing and also cause problems when using hearing aids.

More attention to hearing

“People over 80 often have very different cognitive functioning and less comorbidity. In contrast, people over 90 are often in residential care, are not always tested or diagnosed for hearing loss, often have difficulty coping with hearing aids and do not receive much support,” says Åsa Winzell Juhlin.

An interesting aspect of the results was that the gender difference that exists among younger elderly people, with hearing being more limited in men than in women, became much less pronounced in the 1990s.

“We need to focus more on hearing in the very elderly, using hearing aids where possible, but also working more with the acoustic environment,” says Åsa Winzell Juhlin.

The data in the study comes from the H70 studies in Gothenburg. The final hearing study sample size was smaller than originally planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, measures have been taken to optimize the representativeness of the research population.