[The importance of increasing awareness of hearing and vision in the elderly population]

Age-related hearing and vision impairment are not at all rare in the elderly population. These phenomena sometimes play a major role in the functional decline and the loss of independence of the elderly, even to the degree of sensory deprivation. Among the hearing-impaired only 9% use hearing aids, an additional 3% own a hearing aid but do not use it, and the remaining 88%, do not even have a hearing-aid, in spite of the decline in their hearing. This sensory deficiency is in addition to already existing functioning problems, adds to disability and lowers the quality of life of the elderly. The high incidence of vision and hearing problems, and the existing risk potential on the one hand, and the ability to improve and heal on the other, highlights the need for medical alertness. It requires the family physician, the internist, the geriatric physician and any other doctor treating the elderly population to show vigilance, increase awareness and refer the patients to appropriate evaluation and treatment. The evaluation of vision and hearing must be included in the functional geriatric assessment of the elderly population, which takes place in the office of the primary and secondary physicians and their teams. This article examines the changes which take place in these two senses during the process of aging, and attempts to increase the awareness to possible hindrances caused by aging, as well as currently available solutions.