Benefits of Screening for Older Adults’ Hearing Loss? (Ear Foundation / Action on Hearing Loss / BBC News)

Summary

A report from hearing loss charities reminds readers that adult hearing loss is a public health issue. Older people who experience hearing loss are more likely to go on to suffer from dementia, falls, mental health problems, social isolation and early mortality.

NHS England has been requested to introduce a national adult hearing loss screening programme for older adults, which could potentially save the NHS money by helping people address their hearing loss problems earlier. Direct costs for the NHS in England from hearing loss are estimated to be £500 million annually, and the knock-on costs of not providing hearing technology has been suggested to cost billions.

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Reference

Lamb, B. [and] Archbold, S. (2016). Adult hearing screening: can we afford to wait any longer? Report and research supported by a grant from Advanced Bionics. London: The Ear Foundation [and] Action on Hearing Loss, March 17^th 2016.

Possibly also of interest:

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Reference

Gallagher, J. (2015). Untreated hearing-loss concern. London: BBC Health News, December 16^th 2015.