The Effect of Dual Sensory Impairment on Cognitive Function Decline in the Elderly: The Moderating Effect of Social Support

Purpose: This study verified that the dual sensory impairment (DSI) in the elderly is associated with cognitive impairment (CI) and confirmed how change in cognitive function varies depending on the social support (SS). Methods: For a study sample of Korean older people, data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) from the 7th (2018) to the 8th (2020), were included in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Among people who responded in both 2018 and 2020, a total of 2,069 people of those who are 65 years of age or older, and have living children and normal cognitive function, were analyzed. X2 -test, t-test and logistic regression analyses were utilized. Results: First, the number of elderly with visual impairment (VI), hearing impairment, and DSI increased on 8th data compared with 7th data. In addition, 22.9% of the 2,069 people showed a decrease in cognitive function. Second, compared to the elderly with normal sensory function, the cognitive function of the elderly with only VI was found to be more degraded, and the cognitive function of the elderly with DSI was found to be much more degraded. In addition, among SS, only participation in social gatherings was found to show significant change in cognitive function of the elderly with DSI. Third, the interaction effect of participating in social gatherings was not significant in the CI of the elderly with DSI. Conclusion: VI and DSI effected cognitive function, but participation in social gatherings such as SS has not significant interaction effect on CI of the elderly with DSI.