Meeting the Hearing Health Care Needs of the Oldest Older Adult

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara E. Weinstein

Purpose The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the auditory needs of and approaches to management of the oldest older adult. Method This article is an overview of principles of geriatric care and implications of untreated hearing loss for function, management, and care of the oldest older adult. Conclusions Person-centered care is at the heart of health care delivery to the oldest older adult, who typically suffers from multimorbidity. Given the high prevalence of moderate to severe hearing loss in this cohort and the functional limitations of untreated hearing loss, audiologists must become proactive in educating stakeholders on the importance of identifying and referring the oldest older adult for management of hearing health care needs. Audiologists have an integral role to play in collaborating with health care professionals in optimizing health care for the oldest older adult.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 1473-1476
Author(s):  
Ashwika Datey ◽  
Soumya Singhai ◽  
Gargi Nimbulkar ◽  
Kumar Gaurav Chhabra ◽  
Amit Reche

The COVID 19 outbreak has been declared a pandemic by the world health organisation. The healthcare sector was overburdened and overstretched with the number of patient increasing and requiring health services. The worst-hit population always are the people with special needs, whether it is children, pregnant females or the geriatric population. The need for the emergency kind of health services was so inflated that the other special population which required them equally as those patients with the COVID 19 suffered a lot. Dentistry was not an exception, and even that is also one of the important components of the health care delivery system and people requiring oral health care needs were also more. Those undergoing dental treatments would not have completed the treatment, and this would have resulted in various complications. In this situation, some dental emergency guidelines have been released by Centres for Disease Control (CDC) for the urgent dental care those requiring special care dentistry during the COVID 19 pandemic. Children with special care needs were considered more vulnerable to oral diseases; hence priority should have been given to them for dental treatments moreover in the future also more aggressive preventive measures should be taken in order to maintain oral hygiene and prevent many oral diseases. Guardians/caregivers should be made aware and motivated to maintain the oral health of children with special health care needs. This review mainly focuses on the prevention and management of oral diseases in children's with special care needs.


Author(s):  
Blánaid Daly ◽  
Paul Batchelor ◽  
Elizabeth Treasure ◽  
Richard Watt

Earlier chapters have highlighted the influence the medical model of health has had on both the philosophy of health care and the structures devised to deliver health care including dental care. The overriding influences of the medical model are the downstream focus on treatment of disease and the communication gap caused by differing concepts of health and need held by lay people and health professionals. Problems with health care delivery operate at a macro level (i.e. overall policy for and structure of health care) and at a micro level (how health care is delivered, one-to-one communication, and interaction with the patient and members of the dental team). Chapter 18 has described some of the specific problems with health care at the macro level. In this chapter we shall also look at some of the problems with how health care is delivered and problems with health services at the level of the user and the provider of health care. What should good health care look like? Maxwell (1984) defined six characteristics of a high-quality health care. Services should to be equitable (fair), accessible, relevant to health care needs, effective, efficient, and socially acceptable. There are recognized inequities in how health care is distributed; urban areas are often better provided for compared to rural areas, and hospital-based health care consumes more resources than community-based care. Not everyone has equal access to health care; for example, people living in deprived communities with greater health need have fewer doctors and dentists compared to richer areas with fewer health care needs. This phenomenon has been described as the inverse care law (Tudor Hart 1971). Uncomfortable choices and rationing have to take place in allocating health care resources. Ideally, these decisions should be based on the greatest health need (and the capacity to benefit) rather than who has the loudest voice. The focus on treatment inherent in the medical model of health means that resources are spent on high-technology medicine and hospitals, while programmes to prevent disease are poorly supported and resourced. There is an expectation that there will be a magic bullet for every health problem, yet most chronic diseases have no cure. People learn to adapt and cope with their chronic illness rather than recover.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-128
Author(s):  
Cyrille Kossigan KOKOU-KPOLOU ◽  
Jude Mary CENAT ◽  
María Nieves PEREZ-MARFIL ◽  
Manuel FERNANDEZ-ALCANTARA

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing unprecedented cumulative deaths and leaving behind millions of bereaved families and individuals. Moreover, the pandemic is disrupting social fabrics in the conventional way we mourn our deads. In this context therefore, how can psychologists, psychiatrists and other health care professionals help bereaved families and individuals more effectively? This opinion paper proposed five recommendations that cover mental health care needs and challenges which may emerge from the management of these traumatic deaths. In all, efforts to comply with either DSM-5 or ICD-11 PGD guidelines could help COVID-19 bereaved persons with overwhelming distress, as they ensure therapists' use of appropriate terminologies in therapeutic alliances. However, clinicians need to have a global perspective of COVID-19 bereavement courses, political and public health measures due to the pandemic, and flexible attitudes about the ICD-11 and of DSM-5 time-criterion for diagnosis. This paper emphasizes the importance of social and collective recognition of COVID-19 deaths through various symbolic and materialized forms to free up collective and individual capacities for resilience. The necessity of individual and group interventions through online platforms is underscored, however these modes of therapies may not reinforce social inequalities by excluding bereaved individuals who really need them.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supp2) ◽  
pp. 359-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian McGregor ◽  
Allyson Belton ◽  
Tracey L. Henry ◽  
Glenda Wrenn ◽  
Kisha B. Holden

 Racial/ethnic disparities have long persisted in the United States despite concerted health system efforts to improve access and quality of care among African Americans and Latinos. Cultural competence in the health care setting has been recognized as an important feature of high-quality health care delivery for decades and will continue to be paramount as the society in which we live becomes increasingly culturally diverse. Unfortunately, there is limited empirical evidence of patient health benefits of a culturally competent health care workforce in integrated care, its feasibility of imple­mentation, and sustainability strategies. This article reviews the status of cultural competence education in health care, the merits of continued commitment to training health care providers in integrated care settings, and policy and practice strategies to ensure emerging health care professionals and those already in the field are prepared to meet the health care needs of racially and ethnically diverse populations. Ethn Dis. 2019;29(Supp 2):359-364. doi:10.18865/ed.29.S2.359


Author(s):  
Kathy Gates ◽  
Quintin A. Hecht ◽  
Marjorie A. M. Grantham ◽  
Andrew J. Fallon ◽  
Malisha Martukovich

Purpose The purpose of this review article is to discuss how boothless audiometry may help address changes in hearing health care services and provide progressive tools to expand beyond traditional audiology clinic visits. The primary drivers for these changes include the COVID-19 pandemic, our aging population, comorbid effects of unidentified hearing loss, and the critical need for effective communication between patients and providers. This review article highlights key features and technical specifications of boothless audiometry, provides an overview of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved boothless audiometry products, and describes how to leverage these products to increase access to hearing health services across the continuum of health care. Method Boothless audiometry literature was reviewed using PubMed and audiometry technology websites. FDA-approved boothless audiometry products were reviewed, and audiological features were categorized. Civilian and Department of Defense subject matter experts were consulted. Conclusions Boothless audiometry technology introduces opportunities for early audiometric assessment outside of the audiology clinic, in settings where traditional testing has been less possible, or even impossible, such as military environments, clinic waiting areas, schools, and nursing homes. This technology allows health care providers to identify individuals with significant hearing loss early and seek comprehensive services to prevent and treat hearing loss. By expanding the current hearing health care delivery model via boothless audiometry technology, the following benefits may be achieved, which can result in better outcomes overall: increased access to care, early identification and treatment of hearing loss, and reduced impact from the comorbid effects of hearing impairment.


2013 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 1134-1139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott D. Nash ◽  
Karen J. Cruickshanks ◽  
Guan-Hua Huang ◽  
Barbara E. K. Klein ◽  
Ronald Klein ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-99
Author(s):  
Judy R. Dubno

Purpose The purpose of this article is to introduce the invited Research Forum on challenges in hearing health care for the oldest older adults, which was presented at the 2014 HEaring Across the Lifespan conference (HEAL 2014). Method A brief overview of the three presentations in the special session is provided along with general conclusions. Conclusions Hearing health care needs of the oldest older adults are multifactorial and are related to auditory and cognitive declines; social, emotional, and lifestyle changes; and increasing physical disabilities and other comorbidities. Improved clinical outcomes for hearing health require personalized needs assessments by interprofessional teams and shared decision making on treatment options.


2003 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bev O'Connell ◽  
Susan Bailey ◽  
Arlene Walker

Research has indicated that carers are concerned about their ageing status, their deteriorating health and their abilityto continue to care for their dependants. Given that the health care system will become increasingly reliant on carersthe health care needs of carers should be a concern for all health care professionals. This paper describes the first stageof a project designed to enhance older carers health promotion knowledge and skills and improve their healthpromoting behaviors. This stage investigated the mental and physical health status of older carers. It also soughtinformation on older carers' levels of participation in health related and social activities and identification of barriersto participation in these types of activities. The results highlighted that carers responding to the survey experiencedcompromised physical and mental health. Many carers reported being unable to participate in social and health-typeactivities as they were unable to leave the care recipient. Of note, is that carers identified their own mental fragilityand felt they needed further emotional support.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document