Routine hearing care could cut falls in elderly Scots by 27%

Improved audiology services could protect older people, say experts.

Health experts and campaigners are calling for routine hearing assessments to be introduced across Scotland after a major new study revealed that auditory interventions could reduce falls among older adults by almost a third.

The study, led by researchers at Napier University in Edinburgh, showed that people with hearing loss who were randomly assigned best-practice hearing care reported an average of 27% fewer falls over the course of three years compared to other participants in a large control group.

In the UK, one in three people aged over 65, and half of those aged over 80, fall at least once a year, costing the NHS more than £2.3 billion annually.

Trips and falls are the main cause of disability and the leading cause of death from injury among people aged over 75.

Hearing loss should be tested and treated as seriously as any other medical problem, says one expert.

The study, involving 1,000 people and conducted over a three-year period, concluded that providing hearing aids to older people, along with counselling their families and regular audiology appointments, can significantly reduce falls among older adults.

While the link between hearing loss and falls has been known for some time, the report is the first to show the full impact of a hearing care intervention on tackling this problem.

Dr Adele Gorman, from Napier’s school of health and social care, said: “Hearing loss has previously been associated with a greater risk of falling among older adults, but few studies have directly investigated the connection.

“It is possible that the benefit of improved hearing may have enhanced the spatial environmental awareness of these participants, or that the lower demand on cognitive resources for hearing allowed them to focus more on their movement.

“We hope these findings have the potential to inform researchers and health professionals and address a leading cause of injury among older people.”

Health experts are now calling for the Scottish Government to invest further in NHS adult audiology services, as recommended in the recent Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland.

It should also publish national guidelines for routine hearing assessments to go alongside national guidelines for free NHS eye examinations – currently recommended every year for people aged 60 and over, they say.

Sara Redmond, chief officer of the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, said: “This research highlights the wider benefits, for people and the health and social care system, of the Scottish Government investing appropriately in its NHS adult audiology services.

“This investment will help prevent falls, reduce fall-based admissions to hospitals, and support people to live independently in older age for as long as possible.”

She added: “That’s also why we are also calling for sight and hearing assessments to be a mandatory part of memory and dementia assessments in Scotland as our recent research found these assessments are not routinely being carried out.”

Leading dementia expert Professor June Andrews said the link between hearing issues and falls in older people is often overlooked.

She said: “In Scotland and across the UK, we absolutely need greater public awareness of this connection. Many older people don’t realise that subtle hearing loss, even before they’re aware of it themselves, can affect their safety and risk of dementia.”

She added: “Hearing loss isn’t just an inconvenience. It is a serious health issue.”

In April, The Sunday Post revealed that leading dementia experts are urging quicker access to NHS hearing tests because of the increased link between deafness and dementia.

Their plea came as people across more than half of Scotland are waiting more than two years to have hearing aids fitted.

Age Scotland chief executive Katherine Crawford said the charity would support any move to encourage older people to have their hearing checked regularly and to use hearing aids if required for their general health and wellbeing.

She added: “This could play an important role in reducing the number of injuries caused by falls and help older people stay safe and out of hospital.”

Scientists issue warning of link between hearing loss and onset of dementia

The Scottish Government said: “We recognise the association between adult-onset hearing loss and areas of physical and mental decline, and are considering these links as we progress with work to implement the findings of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland.

“The Scottish Government is continuing to fund the partnership between the NHS and the RNID to deliver Near You across Scotland. This service provides community hearing support hubs offering a range of after-care support as well as free hearing checks and support.

“NHS Boards are also offering locally tailored solutions for further support, with NHS Highland taking forward work with the Third Sector to pilot bespoke training modules for care homes.”