{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.05098789037603569, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0497131931166348, 'mean_word_length': 4.607142857142857, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 4, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 3, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Vision and Hearing Impairment in Aged Care Clients

Purpose: To determine the frequency of sensory impairments among aged care clients. Methods: We examined 188 persons aged 65–99 years being evaluated for aged care services at a geriatric assessment center, west of Sydney, Australia. Visual acuity was measured using a LogMAR chart. Visual impairment was defined in the better eye: mild < 20/40 to ≥ 20/80, moderate < 20/80 to ≥ 20/200, and severe < 20/200. Hearing function was assessed by portable pure-tone air-conduction audiometry. Hearing loss was defined using average hearing thresholds in the better ear: mild > 25 to ≤ 40 decibels (dB), moderate > 40 to ≤ 60dB, and severe > 60dB. Results: Vision, hearing, or both were randomly tested in 96, 93, and 49 aged care clients, respectively. Vision impairment was found in 30.2% of clients. Distance vision could be improved with pinhole in 16.7% of 84 clients with presenting VA < 20/20. Moderate to severe hearing loss was present in 50.5%. Combined sensory impairment was detected in 22.5% of persons having both tests. The age-standardized proportions with vision impairment was 25.6%, higher than the rate (17.4%) found in the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) community population, but lower than the 37.7% prevalence reported from the BMES nursing home sample. Hearing impairment was also more common in aged care clients (28.1% vs 17.5%). Conclusions: This study suggests a high prevalence of sensory impairment among older persons transitioning from independent community living to institutionalized care.