The Effects and Costs of a Hearing Screening and Rehabilitation Program in Residential Care Homes for the Elderly in the Netherlands

Purpose: This study describes the effects and costs of hearing screening and rehabilitation in residential care homes for the elderly. It was hypothesized that offering an in-house hearing screening and rehabilitation program would be an effective strategy to increase hearing aid ownership among the residents. Method: All 705 residents of 8 residential care homes in the Netherlands were invited to participate in a hearing screening (pure-tone audiometry) and rehabilitation (hearing aids) program. Resident participation was analyzed, and the costs were calculated. Results: A total of 243 residents (34%) participated in the screening, 222 (91%) of whom had hearing loss. Ninety-one (41%) of the screening participants with hearing loss started rehabilitation, which was successful for 50 (55%) of them. Hearing aid ownership among the residents with hearing loss increased from 28% at the start of the program to 33% at the end. The costs were (sic)1,896 (US $2,480) per successfully rehabilitated resident. Hearing aid trials and hearing aids together accounted for 83% of the total costs. Conclusion: The effectiveness of the program was limited, as hearing aid ownership increased only slightly. Cost reduction measures should focus on decreasing the number of unsuccessful hearing aid trials.