Association of Single and Dual Sensory Impairment with Falls among Medicare Beneficiaries

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if dual sensory impairment (DSI) is associated with falls and fear of falling among older adults. Methods: Using data from the 2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), we studied the cross-sectional association of self-reported hearing/vision impairment with self-reported history/number of falls over the past year, fear of falling (scale 1–6), and a fall requiring medical help using weighted multivariable regressions adjusted for demographic and clinical covariates. Results: Among 11,089 Medicare beneficiaries (mean age = 74, 55% female, 9% Black), DSI is associated with increased prevalence (prevalence ratio = 1.45 [1.28–1.65]) and incidence (incidence ratio = 2.21 [1.79–2.75]) rate of falls, and greater odds of a higher fear of falling score (odds ratio = 1.38 [1.08–1.77]). Discussion: DSI is associated with falls among older adults. Consideration of DSI as a marker to initiate fall prevention programs and inclusion of sensory interventions in these programs may be valuable.