title: Severe vision and hearing impairment and successful aging: a multidimensional view.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous research on psychosocial adaptation of sensory-impaired older adults has focused mainly on only one sensory modality and on a limited number of successful aging outcomes. We considered a broad range of successful aging indicators and compared older adults with vision impairment, hearing impairment, and dual sensory impairments and without sensory impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data came from samples of severely visually impaired (VI; N = 121), severely hearing-impaired (HI; N = 116), dual sensory-impaired (DI; N = 43), and sensory-unimpaired older adults (UI; N = 150). Participants underwent a wide-ranging assessment, covering everyday competence, cognitive functioning, social resources, self-regulation strategies, cognitive and affective well-being, and 4-year survival status (except the DI group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most pronounced difference among groups was in the area of everyday competence (lowest in VI and DI). Multigroup comparisons in latent space revealed both similar and differing relationship strengths among health, everyday competence, social resources, self-regulation, and overall well-being, depending on sensory status. After 4 years, mortality in VI (29%) and HI (30%) was significantly higher than in UI (20%) at the bivariate level, but not after controlling for confounders in a multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A multidimensional approach to the understanding of sensory impairment and psychosocial adaptation in old age reveals a complex picture of loss and maintenance.
authors.affiliation: *Address correspondence to Hans-Werner Wahl, Heidelberg University, Department of Psychological Aging Research, Institute of Psychology, Bergheimer Strasse 20, Heidelberg 69115, Germany. E-mail: h.w.wahl@psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Hans-Werner
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Wahl
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Heyl
authors.forename: Philipp M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Drapaniotis
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hörmann
authors.forename: Jost B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jonas
authors.forename: Peter K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Plinkert
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rohrschneider
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D006309:Hearing; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D014792:Visual Acuity
keywords: Advanced old age; Dual sensory impairment; Hearing impairment; Successful aging; Vision impairment