“I don’t hear
or see so well
these days…”
Can older people with sight and
hearing loss still enjoy life?
n No
3 Yes – with the right support
n
A growing population
As we get older, so many of us have sight and
hearing problems that it is often accepted as
a normal part of ageing. But if we all deny the
issue in this way it means that too many older
people miss out on the support they need.
n W
e expect a big rise in the numbers of
people with sight and hearing problems
over the next 20 years because of the
ageing population.
n R
esearch shows that there are currently
222,000 people aged over 70 with dualsensory loss in the UK. By 2015 this will
rise to 254,0001.
n By 2030, nearly half a million people in the UK will have sufficient sight and
hearing loss to be considered ‘deafblind. Of these, 418,000 will be over the
age of 702.
n More than 50 per cent of people over 60 will be affected by some type of
hearing loss (Age UK)3.
n Of the two million people with sight loss in the UK, over 80 per cent are over
60 and 45 per cent are over 80 (RNIB)4.
Enjoy life!
“Not being able to see or hear well in later life can be a real
challenge. Getting out of the house, taking part in favourite
leisure activities, keeping in touch with friends and family
are all made more difficult by sensory loss. Yet, as we get
older, keeping active is increasingly important for staying
well. Being active mentally can certainly keep us active
physically, and keep us young in mind and body. Sense aims
to… make sure older people with hearing and sight loss are
able to live full and active lives.”
Nicholas Parsons
Lost from view
Sense research5 confirms what we have long suspected – that the needs of
older people with sight and hearing problems are often overlooked.
Older people are telling us that this makes them lonely, depressed and unable
to cope.
Without help, people may be forced to give up their homes and move into
residential care where – our research shows – few staff have the training to
understand their needs.
And yet, with the right support, older people with dual sensory impairments
can continue to enjoy a reasonable quality of life. This may be in their own
home, or in residential care.
Either way, it is quite possible to support older people with sight and hearing
problems to get the best out of life.
What do you expect?
As we get older, we expect our sight and hearing to get worse, don’t we? It goes
along with going grey, forgetting where we left the keys and not being able to get
out the chair quite so easily.
The older generation is often stoical about these changes. So stoical in fact, that
they may be reluctant to acknowledge that they aren’t seeing or hearing too well
– or to ask for help.
The people they know – their family or care workers for example – may also not
realise that the older person is having difficulties, or know how to support them
with this.
The combined effect of sight and hearing loss is very disabling – the two
impairments impact on each other and multiply the total effect. All too easily,
older people can become increasingly cut off and lonely, struggling to connect
with friends and families, and unable to cope with everyday life.
If you can no longer easily see or hear the television, listen to the radio, read
your letters, use the phone or have a conversation you become isolated from
people, events and society. This sensory deprivation can lead to extreme levels of
boredom, stress, depression and sometimes confusion.
n If you can’t see well it is hard to cross the road safely, so you may need to ask
for help. But how can you do that if you can’t hear what people are saying to
you in a noisy street?
n If you find it hard to hear what someone is saying, you may watch their lips and
facial expression for clues. But if you become partially sighted as well, how will
you understand what is being said?
“All too easily,
older people
can become
increasingly
cut off and
lonely”
3
Recognising the tipping point
“Despite
the many
challenges,
older people
with poor
sight and
hearing can
still enjoy life”
Once someone is 80 or more there is a much higher chance that they will
increasingly struggle to see and hear what is going on around them. It can feel like
life is fading away.
Because this happens gradually, the older person and their family often don’t
notice the moment when it starts to have a serious impact. It can all get mixed
with other changes caused by aging – such as health problems or memory loss.
Older people with sensory loss may find it harder to take exercise, eat a healthy
diet, maintain social contacts or get to the doctor – among many other things.
Unsurprisingly, loneliness and depression can creep into the picture. This is why
Sense is a managing partner of the Campaign to End Loneliness.
It is understandable that older people with sight and hearing problems may not
find it easy to face combined sight and hearing loss. However, if they, or their
family, can recognise the impact it is having on their life, it can be a passport to
getting help via local authorities.
Four out of five older people do not live in care homes6 so support at home can be
critical to them.
Not supporting older people with dual sensory loss can lead to higher costs
later on – for older people themselves and their families, for local authorities
and the NHS.
So what can be done?
Despite the many challenges that poor sight and hearing bring, older people can
continue to live independently and enjoy life – provided people understand their
needs and they get the right help.
Local authorities have a legal duty to offer a specialist assessment, which can help
identify support and equipment which would make a difference to peoples’ lives.
For example, a communicator guide might:
n guide the older person to the shops or accompany them to the doctors
n help them with their post and bills
n help them to keep up friendships and meet others in a similar position.
To find out how to get a local authority assessment contact Sense Advice &
Information – see details on back cover.
4
Family and friends
Families and friends can also contribute. Helping a family member adapt and
arrange the furniture and interior space of their home to suit them can help them
avoid falls and injuries. Here are some more tips:
n Use clear speech (a little slower and louder than usual with clear lip patterns,
but not too exaggerated)
n Face the light so that your full face can be seen.
n Avoid background noise. Turn off the TV or radio or move somewhere quieter
n Check that hearing aids are turned on and working.
n Don’t hurry – take your time and check that the older person understands.
n Be aware that if a person is smiling and nodding it doesn’t necessarily mean
they have understood you.
n For older people whose sight and hearing loss is severe, learning Braille or
deafblind manual (a form of sign language using touch) is challenging but can
reap rich rewards.
And here are some common sense things NOT to do when you visit:
n Don’t move furniture or objects in someone’s home without discussing it first.
The tea caddy you moved is as good as lost!
n Don’t leave someone without explaining that you are going, or they could end
up talking to an empty space.
n Helping a family member adapt and arrange the furniture and interior space of
their home to suit them can help them avoid falls and injuries.
Older people in care homes
Sense research carried out with the University of Birmingham has shown that
many care home staff are unaware that the people they look after are likely to
have sight and hearing problems. And very few have received training in this area.
None of the staff interviewed in the research were aware that local authorities
have a duty to assess older people with dual sensory loss.
Most said they didn’t have time to stop and spend time talking to residents, and
were unaware of accessible materials – like large print books or playing cards.
The research also showed that none of the 88 care home residents we spoke to
– who all had with both sight and hearing loss – reported that they had a dual
sensory loss. Instead, they spoke about sight and hearing loss separately.
This means that the substantial sensory needs of older people living in care homes
are just not being met.
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However, there are some simple solutions in care homes that are quick and
inexpensive to introduce. For example:
“Use Sense’s
simple
screening
tool to
identify which
residents
are really
struggling
with both
sight and
hearing”
n Loop systems, good hearing aids and personal amplifiers can all help older
people to hear better. Excellent hearing aids are available on the NHS.
n Colour contrast – if you serve cauliflower cheese on a white plate on a white
table, people won’t be able to find their meal! So use a blue plate and that will
help.
n Paint door frames and skirting boards a colour that contrasts with the doors,
walls and carpets; or add floor textures to help people navigate the building.
n Use Sense’s simple screening tool to identify which residents are really
struggling with both sight and hearing
For more information about Sense and the University of Birmingham’s research in
care homes for older people see:
http://www.sense.org.uk/publications/identification-and-assessment-needsolder-people-combined-hearing-and-sight-loss-0
Sense’s free checklist to identify older people living in care homes for sight and
hearing loss is available at:
http://www.sense.org.uk/sites/default/files/Fill_in_the_Gaps_Checklist_2011.pdf
Sense is also currently working with the University of Staffordshire to investigate
how dual sensory impairment in older people affects their ability to deal with
everyday life in their own homes, and whether that influences their decision to
move to a care home.
What could you do to support
an older person with their
dual sensory loss?
See Sense booklet Enjoy
Life! for more tips about
communicating, getting out,
adapting the home to make
everyday life easier and
getting specialist support.
Available from Sense
Information and Advice
service, contact on back cover.
Just because someone has sight
and hearing difficulties, doesn’t
mean they can’t live well
Enjoy life!
sight
Guidance on helping older people with
6
and hearing problems
1
A personal story
It might seem unlikely that an older person with sight and hearing loss could enjoy
art. Yet, with the help of a kind gesture from her brother, Pat rediscovered her love
of creativity.
Pat Cree, 70, from Leicester has always enjoyed creating art. When she started
not being able to see and hear very well – about five years ago – she found her
confidence draining away and became very low. Pat, who has a hearing problem,
also has macular degeneration which causes a gradual loss of central vision.
“As a child I always had a pencil in my hand and later on I took up needlework
and painting. When I started losing my sight, it took me time to adjust with my
changed life, but it was essential I did not give up,” Pat said.
Her condition meant she could now only look at pictures out of the corner of her
eye and with the help of a magnifying glass or a camera gadget. But when her
brother gave her some acrylic paints, she decided to give painting another go.
Pat developed new ways of working and techniques to get around her sight loss –
like sprinkling shavings from her oil pastels onto a prepared board which she puts
into a microwave. When the picture comes out of the microwave the pastels have
melted a bit and the painting is intriguing to touch.
“Painting
again has
given me
a sense of
achievement,
a sense of
worth”
“My first attempt at this got a bit burnt in the oven!” she said, “but you learn
from your mistakes. Being able to paint again was very important to regain my
confidence. I realised I just needed to make small adjustments and I could enjoy
life like I used to.”
Pat has joined a Sense forum in Leicester where she meets up with other people
who have lost their sight and hearing later in life. They’re a friendly crowd, who
share their troubles and help each other out. Pat even gave a talk to the group
about her artwork and her pictures were recently exhibited in a local church.
“Painting again has given me a sense of achievement, a sense of worth,” she said.
“I can do something creative. And while I can still do it, I will do it!”
References
1 Robertson and Emerson; CEDR Research
Report 2010: 1 April 2010
2 Sense/CeDR, 2010
3 Age UK:http://www.ageuk.org.uk/healthwellbeing/conditions-illnesses/hearing/
4 RNIB: http://www.rnib.org.uk/
livingwithsightloss/copingwithsightloss/
older-people/Pages/older-people.aspx
5 The Identification and Assessment of the
Needs of Older People with Combined
Hearing and Sight Loss in Residential
Homes, Sense/University of Birmingham
2010
http://www.sense.org.uk/sites/default/
files/BUPA_%20final_%20report_%20
March_%202012_0.pdf
6 http://archive.audit-commission.
gov.uk/auditcommission/
sitecollectiondocuments/AuditCommission
Reports/NationalStudies/financialimpact
sofanageingpoplitreview.pdf
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About Sense
Sense is a national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults of
all ages who have a combination of sight and hearing impairments – often called
deafblindness.
We provide tailored support, advice and information – as well as specialist services
to all deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work
with them. We also support people who have a single-sensory impairment with
additional needs
Sense also carries out research into key issues that impact on deafblind people and
their families. Research that we commissioned from the University of Birmingham
for example, revealed that older deafblind people are often overlooked in
residential care. As a result, we trialled a questionnaire which is being used to help
staff to identify older deafblind people who need support.
Our thanks to Bupa who funded our research with the University of Birmingham
into the needs of older dual sensory impaired older people in care homes.
For more information
Sense Advice & Information Line
Tel: 0845 127 0066 or 020 7520 0972
Textphone: 0845 127 0066 or 020 7520 0972
Fax: 0845 127 0061
Email: info@sense.org.uk
www.sense.org.uk
Enjoy Life!
Guidance on helping older people with sight and hearing problems
http://www.sense.org.uk/enjoylife
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