Relationship Between Self-reported Hearing Difficulty and Functional Capacity of Elderly People Requiring Support

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between self-reported hearing difficulty and functional capacity in elderly people requiring support. A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey elderly people regarding their attributes, state of health, the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG) Index of Competence, and hearing of conversations and television, among other things. Elderly people also underwent pure-tone audiometry and cognitive function testing. Functional capacity was evaluated using the TMIG Index of Competence and the elderly people were classified into high- and low-scoring groups based on their mean score. A logistic model was used to adjust the effects of multiple factors that showed a significant association with functional capacity in chi-squared tests, and the odds ratios (ORs) for high functional capacity were calculated. For hearing of conversations, significantly more elderly people capable of hearing (OR＝10.96) or mostly capable of hearing (OR＝7.38) conversations were in the high-scoring group for functional capacity than those incapable of hearing more than half of conversations. Similarly, for hearing the television, the OR for being in the high-scoring group for functional capacity was significantly higher for elderly people capable of hearing (OR＝4.52) or mostly capable of hearing (OR＝10.84) the television compared with those incapable of hearing more than half of what is said on television.