Assessment of sensory impairment in older adults with dementia

Background:Over 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia.The rate of cognitive decline increases with age,and loss of senses may be a contributing factor.Objectives:This study aimed to analyze hearing,olfactory function,and color vision in patients with dementia.Materials and methods:The sample comprised 40 patients with dementia and 37 cognitively normal controls aged 41–85 years.All participants underwent conventional pure-tone audiometry and a screening version of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults,the Odorized Markers Test of olfactory function and the Ishihara color vision test.The effects of comorbidities and lifestyle factors were also assessed.Results:Patients with dementia had significantly worse hearing at almost all frequencies tested and significantly greater olfactory impairment than cognitively normal controls.Color vision impairment was found in less than 8%of the sample,with no significant difference between the groups.Impairment of two senses(hearing and olfaction)was significantly more common in patients with dementia than in controls.Conclusion:Individuals with dementia were found to have sensory decline,namely hearing and olfactory impairment.Color vision was rarely impaired in the sample.Participants with dementia tended to have more multisensory impairments than controls.