Hearing Loss in Care Homes – A Call to Action

Care England is proud to announce the launch of a landmark new report, “Hearing Loss in Care Homes: A Sector-Wide Response”, developed in partnership with Engage and Nightingale Hammerson. With over 80% of older care home residents living with hearing loss, this evidence-based report brings long-overdue attention to a critically overlooked issue affecting quality of life, safety, and care standards in residential settings.

Drawing on nearly a decade of frontline experience from the Engage project in more than 35 care homes, and supported by a broad body of research, this comprehensive report lays out the scale of the challenge—and most importantly, the solutions. The paper outlines the ethical, clinical, and economic case for immediate action, and offers a practical roadmap for improving hearing support in care homes.

Key Findings

• Widespread neglect: Many residents with hearing loss go undiagnosed and unsupported, leading to isolation, cognitive decline, and increased falls.

• Low hearing aid use: Fewer than 25% of people who could benefit from hearing aids in care homes actually use them, often due to lack of staff training and maintenance protocols.

• Underprepared staff: Most care workers report little or no training in managing hearing loss, resulting in ineffective or harmful communication practices.

• Environments that isolate: Noise levels, poor lighting, and lack of appropriate technology often make communal areas inaccessible to those with hearing loss.

• Systemic inaccessibility: Access to audiology services and earwax removal remains inadequate, despite the known risks.

Recommendations at a Glance

To help care homes transform hearing loss support, the report recommends:

• Hearing loss audits of physical environments.

• Clear protocols for hearing aid maintenance and use.

• Experiential training for all staff to understand the lived reality of hearing loss.

• Hearing Loss Champions embedded within each care team.

• Assistive equipment such as amplifiers made readily available.

• Improved access to hearing tests, audiology services, and earwax removal.

• Better information for residents and families on hearing support tools and services.

This report includes case studies from Nightingale Hammerson to demonstrate the significant impact of addressing hearing loss in care homes. The case studies highlight practical interventions, such as environmental adjustments, staff training, and the use of assistive technologies, showing how they improve communication, wellbeing, and social engagement for residents with hearing loss. These real-world examples provide evidence of the positive outcomes that can be achieved, from enhanced resident participation to better staff satisfaction and improved care quality.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England commented:

“Hearing loss has long been overlooked in care settings, despite its profound impact on wellbeing, safety, and social connection. This white paper, developed jointly with Engage and Nightingale Hammerson, is a timely and vital resource for the sector. “

Nuno Santos Lopes, Director of Research and Innovation at Nightingale Hammerson, added: 

“Hearing loss is common to the vast majority of older people with care needs and the levels of knowledge of the care givers remains very low. From creating the right environment to get staff, managers and relatives knowledgeable about how to engage with someone with hearing loss, there is a lot of work to do and this document works as an easy to access guidance to help improving the hearing care standards.”

Padraic Garrett, Head of Engage and Andrew Goodwin, Service Manager for Engage, said:

“When residents with hearing loss are not adequately supported, it leads to increased anxiety, depression, and social isolation, with higher risks to physical health issues including falls. From our many years of successfully collaborating with homes, our motivation for this Paper is to share what we have found works to address the suffering of residents with hearing loss.”

Crystal Rolfe, Director of Strategy at RNID, said:

“This White Paper is a powerful call-to-action to address the huge need within older people’s care homes when it comes to hearing health. Hearing loss shouldn’t stop older people from living well, and by improving the quality of care, not only will we help combat the increased risks of depression and cognitive decline, but there’ll be a huge beneficial impact on overall wellbeing.”

Why This Matters

Untreated hearing loss isn’t just a communication barrier—it is a risk factor for dementia, depression, falls, and even cardiovascular disease. It also affects staff morale and undermines care standards. The impact is profound, and yet preventable.

This report is both a wake-up call and a practical toolkit. By uniting, the care sector can not only raise the standard of care but also demonstrate financial and operational benefits—from reduced falls and medication use to improved resident wellbeing and family satisfaction.

Read the full report here.