Lucas Wolski, Iracema Leroi, Ines Himmelsbach, Piers Dawes, & Abebaw M. Yohannes
Lucas Wolski graduated as a Psychogerontologist (M.Sc.) from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in 2012. Currently he is a Research Associate with the European project “SENSE-cog” at the Catholic University of Freiburg (Germany). Trying to understand the interdependencies between neurocognitive disorders and sensory impairments, his research interests lie within the field of hearing & vision impairments and their combined effect on cognitive functioning (e.g. dementia, stroke).
Iracema Leroi is an Associate Professor in geriatric psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin where she is a member of the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), a joint venture between Trinity College and the University of California, San Francisco. She is also a Consultant Psychiatrist at St. James’s Hospital, also in Dublin. Iracema developed and led the Greater Manchester clinical trials’ programme for dementia for several years as principal investigator (PI). Iracema is the Chief Investigator for EU-funded SENSE-Cog programme.
Ines Himmelsbach is a Professor for Social Gerontology at the Catholic University of Freiburg. She studied at the Universities of Frankfurt and Heidelberg in Germany and did post doc work at Lund University, Sweden. Ines's research interests lie within aging and education, aging and sensory impairments as well as developing and planning interventions for older adults. Her expertise lies within qualitative research methods.
Piers Dawes studied speech and hearing science at Curtin University in Western Australia and holds a doctorate in experimental psychology from Oxford University. He held academic posts at the Universities of York and Manchester and is currently an Associate Professor in Audiology at the Australian Hearing Hub in Sydney. Dr Dawes’s research concerns i) understanding causes and impacts of hearing impairment, particularly in the context of multimorbidity in older age, ii) prevention and treatment of hearing impairment, and iii) hearing service development and evaluation.
Abebaw M. Yohannes is a Professor at Azusa Pacific University in the department of Physical Therapy. His professional training consisted of Physical Therapy and obtained Geriatric Medicine in MSc and PhD from the University of Manchester in 1997 and 2002, respectively. Professor Yohannes is a Fellow of The American College of Chest Physician and The American Thoracic Society. He is an Associate Editor for BMC Geriatrics and Health and Quality of Life Outcomes.
Iracema Leroi is an Associate Professor in geriatric psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin where she is a member of the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), a joint venture between Trinity College and the University of California, San Francisco. She is also a Consultant Psychiatrist at St. James’s Hospital, also in Dublin. Iracema developed and led the Greater Manchester clinical trials’ programme for dementia for several years as principal investigator (PI). Iracema is the Chief Investigator for EU-funded SENSE-Cog programme.
Ines Himmelsbach is a Professor for Social Gerontology at the Catholic University of Freiburg. She studied at the Universities of Frankfurt and Heidelberg in Germany and did post doc work at Lund University, Sweden. Ines's research interests lie within aging and education, aging and sensory impairments as well as developing and planning interventions for older adults. Her expertise lies within qualitative research methods.
Piers Dawes studied speech and hearing science at Curtin University in Western Australia and holds a doctorate in experimental psychology from Oxford University. He held academic posts at the Universities of York and Manchester and is currently an Associate Professor in Audiology at the Australian Hearing Hub in Sydney. Dr Dawes’s research concerns i) understanding causes and impacts of hearing impairment, particularly in the context of multimorbidity in older age, ii) prevention and treatment of hearing impairment, and iii) hearing service development and evaluation.
Abebaw M. Yohannes is a Professor at Azusa Pacific University in the department of Physical Therapy. His professional training consisted of Physical Therapy and obtained Geriatric Medicine in MSc and PhD from the University of Manchester in 1997 and 2002, respectively. Professor Yohannes is a Fellow of The American College of Chest Physician and The American Thoracic Society. He is an Associate Editor for BMC Geriatrics and Health and Quality of Life Outcomes.
‘Three’s a crowd’: The triple impact of hearing, vision and cognitive impairment in older people
Cognitive and sensory (hearing and vision) impairments are common in older adults and often co-occur, but clinical assessments of either one in the presence of the other tend to be inadequate or inappropriate to the individual's condition. A new study in BMC Geriatrics explores the perspectives of persons living with dementia and sensory impairment, along with their care partners, on challenges in receiving accurate hearing, vision, and cognitive assessments.
Hearing and vision impairment are increasingly common as people age. After the age of 70 years, over two-thirds of people have a significant hearing and/or vision problems. Dementia is also strongly linked with age; more than one third of people over 90 years have dementia. Unfortunately, hearing and vision impairments are under-identified and under-treated in people with dementia. When sensory impairments co-occur with cognitive difficulties, the impact on the individual is magnified: dependency may increase, cognitive decline may be more rapid, and communication problems are greater. This increases the risk of social isolation as well of as developing delirium (confusional states) and challenging behaviors (e.g. agitation, aggression). Ultimately, the quality of life for the person with dementia declines, and the cost of care increases. Despite this, the opportunity to address hearing and vision impairment as a cost-effective way to improve outcomes for older adults is significant. Ameliorating sensory impairments to improve mental well-being is a key aim of our European Commission-funded Horizon 2020 program ‘SENSE-Cog’.
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