“According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention at least 17.1 million people report dual sensory impairment (paragraph 1, page 243).” What is dual sensory impairment, well it 's the impairment if both vision and hearing. It is most prevalent in adults older than 70 years. So most of the experimental research conducted, the participants where of age 70 years or older with vision impairment, vision loss or dual sensory impairment. There are several known causes for vision impairment such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, or age related physiologic and psychosocial changes, some of these causes of vision respond well to treatment. The study showed that adults older than 70 years, about 9%-21% reported some degree of dual
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Individuals with both hearing and visual loss have differing needs which makes it difficult for practitioners to properly rehabilitate them because practitioners may lack the tools to recognize dual sensory impairment. They receive very little or any cross-disciplinary training to accommodate those with DSI. Since there is very little training in dual sensory impairment, this can lead to misdiagnosis or misunderstanding. Few studies have examined the effects of dual sensory impairment on aging and cognitive task performances. In a study to determine whether there was an independent association between sensory and cognitive functions, persons having vision impairment and hearing loss had lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores, a test which is used to measure cognitive impairment and dementia . Dual sensory impairment has a more significant impact on older individuals which can lead to lower quality of life. The individuals with DSI have shown to have psychological, psychosocial, and functional effects. They are more likely to be depressed , have poor self-rated health and decreased social activity. For example individuals with DSI had approximately 10% lower rates of participating in visiting friends, making phone calls, and going out to movies or church. They were 3 times more likely to have fallen in the past 12 months, 3.6 times more likely to have a stroke and 1.5 times more likely to have hypertension. Older individuals were 4.3 times more likely to report difficulty walking, 4.7 times more likely to report difficulty preparing meals. The effects of dual sensory impairment are greater than those of a single sensory
Individuals with both hearing and visual loss have differing needs which makes it difficult for practitioners to properly rehabilitate them because practitioners may lack the tools to recognize dual sensory impairment. They receive very little or any cross-disciplinary training to accommodate those with DSI. Since there is very little training in dual sensory impairment, this can lead to misdiagnosis or misunderstanding. Few studies have examined the effects of dual sensory impairment on aging and cognitive task performances. In a study to determine whether there was an independent association between sensory and cognitive functions, persons having vision impairment and hearing loss had lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores, a test which is used to measure cognitive impairment and dementia . Dual sensory impairment has a more significant impact on older individuals which can lead to lower quality of life. The individuals with DSI have shown to have psychological, psychosocial, and functional effects. They are more likely to be depressed , have poor self-rated health and decreased social activity. For example individuals with DSI had approximately 10% lower rates of participating in visiting friends, making phone calls, and going out to movies or church. They were 3 times more likely to have fallen in the past 12 months, 3.6 times more likely to have a stroke and 1.5 times more likely to have hypertension. Older individuals were 4.3 times more likely to report difficulty walking, 4.7 times more likely to report difficulty preparing meals. The effects of dual sensory impairment are greater than those of a single sensory