Resumen de Vision impairment and hearing loss among community-dwelling older Americans: implications for health and functioning.

John E. Crews, Vincent A. Campbell

• Objectives: We investigated the health, activity, and social participation of people aged 70 years or older with vision impairment, hearing loss, or both.; Methods: We examined the 1994 Second Supplement on Aging to determine the health and activities of these 3 groups compared with those without sensory loss. We calculated odds ratios and classified variables according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework.; Results: Older people with only hearing loss reported disparities in health, activities, and social roles; those with only vision impairment reported greater disparities; and those with both reported the greatest disparities.; Conclusions: A hierarchical pattern emerged as impairments predicted consistent disparities in activities and social participation. This population's patterns of health and activities have public health implications.;