Challenge 1
Hearing loss is underdiagnosed in aged care
Residents normalise difficulty hearing; staff attribute it to other cognitive or social factors. Screening is the only way to know.
Hearing Health in Aged Care
Support your residents’ hearing health without a clinic visit
Undetected hearing loss in older adults accelerates social withdrawal, communication breakdown, and cognitive decline. Staff can use Sound Scouts to screen residents on site, with minimal staff training, and track results over time through SSIMPL.
The Challenge
The hearing health gap in aged care
Challenge 2
Off-site audiology appointments are logistically difficult
Transport, supervision, and wait times can make off-site appointments impractical for many residents.
Challenge 3
Staff turnover means no institutional memory of who has been screened
Without a centralised platform, results are lost between care plan reviews and residents fall through the gap.
The Sound Scouts app runs on an Apple touchscreen device with specified headphones. A care worker or resident family member can administer a screen in under 10 minutes. SSIMPL stores all results against each resident's profile, with results downloadable for sharing.
How it works
Easy screening helps manage residents' hearing
Implement hearing screening across your facility
Contact us for an implementation pack tailored to aged care settings.
Evidence and endorsement
A cost-effective, proven approach
"The importance of identifying and managing an older adult's declining hearing levels is crucial, as it can minimise social isolation, reduce falls risk and reduce the onset and progress of cognitive decline. Sound Scouts can be implemented into management dashboards to provide staff and carers with the hearing information needed to improve communication with residents. Subsequent prioritisation for referral for access to government funded hearing aid services can also be made."
ARIIA on Sound Scouts Implementation
"The Project aims to tackle access issues to hearing care services experienced by older Australians in rural and remote areas. Building on a successful pilot funded by ARIIA (1), this initiative will demonstrate the integration of Sound Scouts Hearing Screening Service at the point of care in collaboration with Whiddon, a regional aged care provider, with clinical support provided by Hearing Australia."
Sound Scouts - Hearing Screening for Aged Care
Maroba CEO, Viv Allanson OAM, and Sound Scouts CEO, Carolyn Mee discuss the process undertaken to ensure the Sound Scouts app was fit for use in an aged care context.
Aged Care resources
Download the screening guide for health professionals, SSIMPL Guide, and APD Suite test materials.