Social Engagement, Cognition, Depression, and Comorbidity in Nursing Home Residents With Sensory Impairment

Sensory impairment, explicitly vision and hearing impairment, among nursing home (NH) residents decreases their ability to socially engage. However, it is not known to what extent visual, hearing, or dual impairment is associated with social engagement. The aims of the current retrospective, cross-sectional descriptive study were to determine the relationship between social engagement and (a) levels of sensory impairment (vision, hearing, and dual); (b) depression; and (c) cognition. The authors analyzed baseline data from 213 NH residents with sensory impairment from the I-SEE study. Multivariable model results demonstrated that sensory impairment was not associated with social engagement when adjusting for all covariates. Greater social engagement was associated with less depression, better cognition, and greater comorbidity. Clinicians should be aware of these risks to social engagement in NH residents with sensory impairment and monitor for decreased social engagement and isolation in residents with less comorbidities, higher depression levels, and poorer cognition. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2019; 12(5):217-226.].