Hearing and vision impairment and the social networks of older Australians

Two hundred and forty self-selected community-based older people were tested for vision and hearing acuity, and reported on their hearing and vision difficulties and social networks. Social network size, proximity and frequency of contacts were used as dependent variables in the analysis of the effects of any sensory loss on social structure. Neither objectively measured sensory loss nor self-reported sensory difficulties were associated with significant changes to network size, however, people with sensory losses were found to have more intense networks with fewer contacts outside their immediate inner circle.