Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Quality of Life Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1799-2 REVIEW Quality of life in older adults with sensory impairments: a systematic review Ya‑Chuan Tseng 1  · Sara Hsin‑Yi Liu 1  · Meei‑Fang Lou 1  · Guey‑Shiun Huang 1 Accepted: 23 January 2018 © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract Purpose Sensory impairments are common in older adults. Hearing and visual impairments afect their physical and mental health and quality of life adversely. However, systematic reviews of the relationship between hearing impairment, visual impairment, dual sensory impairment, and quality of life are scarce. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the relationship between hearing impairment, visual impairment, dual sensory impairment, and quality of life. Methods Searches of EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Airiti Library were conducted between January 2006 and December 2017 using the keywords “quality of life,” “life satisfaction,” “well-being,” “hearing impairment,” and “visual impairment.” Two authors independently assessed methodologic quality using a modifed Downs and Black tool. Data were extracted by the frst author and then cross-checked by the second author. Results Twenty-three studies consisting mostly of community-dwelling older adults were included in our review. Sensory impairment was found to be in signifcant association with quality of life, with an increase in hearing impairment or visual impairment severity resulting in a lower quality of life. Quality of life for dual sensory impairment was worse than for hear- ing impairment or visual impairment individually. Conclusions A signifcant association was confrmed between hearing impairment, visual impairment, dual sensory impair- ment, and quality of life. Our review can be used to enhance health care personnel’s understanding of sensory impairment in older adults and enable health care personnel to actively assess older adults’ sensory functions, so that they can help alleviate the negative impact of sensory impairments on QOL in older adults. Keywords Dual sensory impairment · Hearing impairment · Older adults · Quality of life · Systematic review · Visual impairment Introduction Hearing impairment (HI), visual impairment (VI), and dual sensory impairment (DSI) are common health problems in older adults. Epidemiological studies show that HI occurs in three-quarters of individuals aged 70 years or older, while 3.2 million people aged 40 years or older have VI [1, 2]. The prevalence of DSI in those over 80 years of age in the United States was found to be as high as 11.3%, and this percentage increases with age [3]. It is clear that sensory impairments have become a pressing issue as the elderly population increases. Several studies have shown that HI, VI, and DSI are associated with adverse efects in elderly people. Sensory impairments can prevent the proper execution of basic daily activities such as walking or climbing stairs [4]. In some cases, communication difculties and social isolation Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1799-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Guey-Shiun Huang gueysh@ntu.edu.tw Ya-Chuan Tseng D03426007@ntu.edu.tw Sara Hsin-Yi Liu D98426003@ntu.edu.tw Meei-Fang Lou mfalou@ntu.edu.tw 1 School of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Rd. Sec. 1, Taipei 10051, Taiwan, ROC