Ninety per cent of care home residents live with some form of hearing loss, research has found.

The latest press release from Care England has confirmed that while nine in 10 residents are affected, less than a quarter use hearing aids, while just 50% of residents who have dementia are accessing support for their hearing.

According to the charity, the majority of frontline workers have not been taught how to clean a hearing aid, change its battery, how to identify when a referral is required for a resident, or to adapt to their communication style.

Furthermore, assessments of the background noise or lighting in residents’ environments are rarely carried out, with most homes also not being fitted with the systems that support hearing loss consistently.

The charity has now developed a nationwide campaign in partnership with Engage, experts in deaf awareness training and development, to raise awareness about hearing loss in care homes. The initiative comes after new evidence about the effects of hearing loss on care home residents’ wellbeing and quality of life.

It involves the delivery of practical guidance that will help frontline staff support residents with hearing loss, in response to concerns expressed by workers who reported a lack of experience in this area.

Resources and expert insight will also be provided to promote cross-sector learning and action.

Padraic Garrett, Head of Engage, said: ‘Hearing loss is one of the most widespread and overlooked challenges affecting people living in care homes. It is often misunderstood as simply part of getting older, rather than something that directly affects communication, relationships, wellbeing and inclusion.

‘Through this campaign, we want to work alongside providers to help build confidence, improve communication and ensure residents remain connected to the people and world around them.’

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Everyone living in residential care should be able to play a full part in the community they are living in, and that can become increasingly hard when they are affected by hearing loss, leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness.

‘While it is for NHS organisations to commission the services they need to support their local population, we will continue to work closely with the NHS to drive improvements in the delivery of audiology services across the country and help care home residents to live the most fulfilling lives possible.’