An older adult may have difficulty responding to an alarm or warning for a number of reasons.
Factors that may cause problems for an older adult when responding to an alarm or alert:
(1) poor visual acuity in general (cataracts, glaucoma, etc)
(2) poor night vision and difficulty with glare
(3) difficulty reading text on signs
(4) difficulty hearing
(5) slow response time
(6) inability to understand symbols due to cognitive impairment
(7) effects of medications
(8) poor perception of surroundings
The presence of one or more of these factors can cause problems for the adult.
