Flooring


five times the risk. Hearing loss can be misdiagnosed as dementia or make the symptoms of dementia appear worse.” In addition to hearing loss, an inability


to process certain sounds can also increase the chance of trips and falls. A study carried out in the US found a link between hearing loss and the probability of someone tripping or falling. According to Dr. Frank Lin, an otologist


and epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Maryland, USA, people with impaired hearing have “poor awareness of their overall environment, and that makes them more likely to trip and fall”.4 Dr. Lin’s study focused on 2017


participants aged 40 to 69. Their hearing was tested and all participants answered questions about whether they had fallen in the past year. The data was collected over four


years and found that people with mild hearing loss - 25dB - were nearly three times more likely to have a history of tripping regularly. For every additional 10dB of hearing loss, a 1.4 times higher risk of falling was seen. From the study a number of reasons


linked hearing loss with an increased risk of falls. Firstly, it could be that people with hearing loss have less environmental awareness to others around them and activities taking place within their vicinity. Spatial awareness, which is where the body is positioned in relation to other people and objects around it, could be another reason for increased falls. Moreover, many researchers point to


cognitive overload as a hindrance to balance. Put simply, those with hearing loss are using more of their mental resources to hear and interpret speech and other sounds and less on their spatial awareness.5 An understanding of hearing loss and


creating an acoustically sound environment could have a profound effect on preventing falls and helping


our older generations to continue live independent lives for longer. A range of changes can affect our


hearing as we age and these can reduce our overall performance. A hearing impairment can compound feelings of isolation and frustration which can lead to behavioural disturbances. Being able to reduce isolation and


frustration can support the elderly and those living with dementia more effectively. In addition, good acoustic design brings a wealth of benefits including resident and staff morale and improved efficiency and usability of the internal environment.


Conclusion The acoustic environment is an important consideration at every stage of the care home design process but this also needs to be considered in the context of other important design factors. Many of the design strategies used for


infection control in healthcare environments can have a negative effect on the acoustic environment if not carefully considered. For example, hard surfaces are often specified for their perceived ease of cleaning but these surfaces often reflect sound, creating reverberation. However, soft flooring finishes such as


carpet, especially one designed for the demands of the healthcare environment, can not only assist with infection prevent and control but also achieve a reduction in sound impact and help to create an acoustically sound environment.


References 1. Wikipedia. Health effects from noise [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effect s_from_noise]


2. HM Government, Resistance to the passage of sound, 2015 [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/go vernment/uploads/system/uploads/attach ment_data/file/468870/ADE_LOCKED.pdf]


Catherine Helliker


Catherine Helliker is marketing manager for danfloor UK, flooring manufacturers and suppliers who specialise in developing carpets suitable for the demands of the care sector. Catherine regularly conducts detailed research into the positive ways in which carpet can enhance internal environments and has taken great lengths to try and dispel some of the traditional myths that encompass the use of carpets within non-clinical healthcare environments.


TCHE


3. Vaitheki Maheswaran, Why and how are dementia and hearing loss linked?, 2017, Action on Hearing Loss [https://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/live- well/our-community/our-blog/why-and-how- are-dementia-and-hearing-loss-linked/]


4. Hear-it.org. Hearing impaired have a higher risk of falling, 2017 [https://www.hear- it.org/hearing-impaired-have-a-higher-risk- of-falling]


5. Healthy Hearing, New research links hearing loss to an increased risk of falls, 2015 [https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/52 548-New-research-links-hearing-loss-to- an-increased-risk-of-falls]


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