Identifying hearing impairment among older adults.

A survey of older-young and younger-old adults (ages 45-64) was conducted to identify the existence of a hearing impairment as described by a self-administered hearing test. Seventy of 96 surveys were returned yielding a response rate of 73%. The results indicated that the younger age group (ages 45-54) scored lower on the hearing loss test than the older age group (ages 55-64), suggesting a greater degree of loss in older adults, and females scored lower suggesting a greater degree of hearing loss in males. Responses also revealed a positive correlation of .77% between the respondent's perception of ability to hear and a relative/friend's perception of the respondent's ability to hear.