Digital Health Information for Older Adults with Hearing Loss (DigiHör)

Hearing loss is not only a medical issue, but also a significant social and societal challenge. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2050 more than 700 million people worldwide—more than one in ten individuals—will be affected by hearing loss.

Although the relevance of this topic is increasing internationally, there is currently no systematic overview for the City of Winterthur of the needs of older adults with hearing loss in relation to digital information pathways. It remains unclear how affected individuals prefer to access information and which forms of communication and support are most helpful from their perspective. The project builds on previous work conducted by Händler-Schuster et al. (2021, 2023a). Based on earlier studies and observations, it can be assumed that a considerable proportion of older adults with hearing loss in Winterthur are increasingly at risk of withdrawing from social life due to communication barriers (Händler-Schuster et al., 2021; Plangger et al., 2022; Roguski et al., 2022). There is therefore a clear need to address this issue systematically, analyse existing gaps, and develop concrete measures to improve the situation. In collaboration with Pro Audito Winterthur, the project aims to develop a practice-oriented concept to strengthen inclusive digital communication pathways in the City of Winterthur. The focus is on promoting digital participation, social connectedness, and accessibility for older adults with hearing loss.

Specific Project Objectives
Project initiation and needs assessment
To develop a structured overview of barriers and opportunities for participation among older adults with hearing loss in Winterthur, based on interviews with affected individuals, professionals, and local stakeholders.

Development and presentation of the concept draft
To develop, on the basis of the needs assessment and in close collaboration with the target group and relevant stakeholders, a concept for improving inclusive communication pathways, including realistic and locally relevant measures for the City of Winterthur.

Planned Outputs
Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with older adults with hearing loss as well as with relevant professionals and local stakeholders, for example from social work, nursing, self-help organisations, and municipal administration. The aim is to capture subjective experiences, existing barriers, and identified needs. The project team will analyse the findings using qualitative content analysis and validate them together with project participants and stakeholders. Based on the needs assessment and in close collaboration with the target group and relevant stakeholders, a practice-oriented concept draft for improving inclusive communication pathways at community level will be developed.

The draft will include concrete and feasible proposals to promote hearing-friendly communication in everyday life.

The concept will be presented, discussed, and further refined in one or two public workshops. Participants will include older adults with hearing loss, professionals from nursing, social work, and urban development, as well as representatives of civil society, hearing care professionals, and other relevant actors. The aim is to foster a sustainable local network. The result will be a coordinated concept with realistic and locally applicable measures for the City of Winterthur.

Materials developed as part of the project will be professionally prepared and designed. They will also serve the Department of Health as a basis for future project proposals.

Relevance to the Community Health Programme
The project is firmly embedded in the City of Winterthur and focuses on local resources, networks, and everyday living environments. In doing so, it reflects the core principle of implementing digitally based health promotion where people live and interact. Through the active involvement of older adults with hearing loss, local professionals, and civil society actors, perspectives from the community will be systematically incorporated. The project is thus intended to generate a practice-oriented concept for strengthening inclusive digital communication pathways, developed by the community for the community.

People with hearing loss often experience structural barriers in accessing digital health information and participating fully in social life. The project seeks to describe these challenges and contribute to reducing such inequalities through accessible communication and community-oriented solutions.

Collaboration with stakeholders from nursing, social work, urban development, hearing care, and self-help organisations strengthens a networked and cross-sectoral approach to health in the municipal context. In the long term, the resulting digital concept is intended to become embedded in the local structures of the City of Winterthur—for example as part of a network for hearing-friendly communication or as a foundation for further projects in community-based integrated care—in order to strengthen social integration and communicative participation.