老人ホーム入居者の聴力について

Hearing Ability of the People living in a Home for the Aged

　はじめに

　高齢化社会を迎え，老人人口が増え続ける今日においては，老化現象についての科学的な究明や高齢者のquality of lifeの向上は現代医学における重要な課題である^1）。このうち，耳鼻咽喉科領域においては，老人性難聴への取り組みが，極めて重要な事項である。しかしながら，現在日本において，高齢者がどれくらいの年齢からどの程度難聴の症状を訴えているかについての報告は意外と少ない。そこでわれわれは，老人ホーム入居者を対象に難聴の現状につき調査検討した。

A questionnaire on hearing ability, tinnitus, eating habits, alcoholic consumption, smoking was obtained from 101 people who are living in a home for the aged. The otological examinations including pure tone audiometry were performed and interview with the aged people in the home was obtained. It was found that sixty percent of people of age more than 80 years old showed various degree of hearing impairment. There was no definite relationship between their age and tinnitus.