IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0338322.html

Social determinants of health and dual sensory loss in older adults: A scoping review

Author

Listed:
  • Abinethaa Paramasivam
  • Ved Hatolkar
  • Renu Minhas
  • Aswen Sriranganathan
  • Pineal Bareamichael
  • Atul Jaiswal
  • Walter Wittich

Abstract

Background: Social determinants of health (SDH), such as socioeconomic status, education, healthcare access, and social support, play a significant role in shaping individuals lived experiences. Dual sensory loss (DSL), a distinct disability involving both vision and hearing loss, poses greater challenges for daily living compared to the general population. This scoping review synthesized evidence on how various SDH indicators influence the life experiences of older adults with DSL. Methods: Five scientific databases were searched from January 2014 to May 2024. Articles focusing on individuals aged 60 and older with DSL, in the context of at least one SDH indicator, were included. Results: A total of 69 studies met the eligibility criteria. Most studies addressed the following SDH indicators: disability (n = 46), social inclusion and non-discrimination (n = 21), gender (n = 10), and access to healthcare services (n = 9). Disability-related indicators revealed higher risks of mobility limitations, cognitive decline, depression, anxiety, social isolation, and workplace discrimination, all adversely affecting mental health and quality of life. Older adults with DSL encounter significant barriers to accessing healthcare, such as absence of adequate assistive devices, communication challenges, and high healthcare costs. Many report dissatisfaction with the quality of care received. Conclusions: Our review identifies disparities that increase the vulnerability of older adults with DSL and restrict their access to healthcare, rehabilitation, and social participation. These findings warrant further research on underexplored SDH factors, using robust data sources that collects information on the lived experiences of older adults with DSL. Addressing these social determinants requires a comprehensive approach, including raising awareness, improving service access, enhancing social support networks, and ensuring inclusive policies and practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Abinethaa Paramasivam & Ved Hatolkar & Renu Minhas & Aswen Sriranganathan & Pineal Bareamichael & Atul Jaiswal & Walter Wittich, 2025. "Social determinants of health and dual sensory loss in older adults: A scoping review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(12), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0338322
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0338322
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0338322
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0338322&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0338322?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0338322. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.