Hearing Loss and Healthy Aging Workshop Summary (2014) / Chapter Skim
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3 The Connection Between Hearing Loss and Healthy Aging
3 The Connection Between Hearing Loss and Healthy Aging
Pages 17-30
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From page 17... ...
Together, they demonstrate that hearing loss is not only a pervasive problem but also one that can affect virtually all aspects of a person's life. THE CONSEQUENCES OF UNTREATED HEARING LOSS James Firman National Council on Aging Jim Firman has had a hearing loss his whole life.1 "I understand, at a personal level, the benefits and limitations of treatment," he said.
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From page 18... ...
Nine of ten people with mild loss do not have hearing aids, Firman observed. Six of 10 people with moderate to severe hearing loss do not have hearing aids, and 70 percent of people between age 65 and 84 do not use hearing aids.
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The Health ABC study, which is a population-based study of 3,000 individuals ages 70 years and older, has also looked at the association of age-related hearing loss with function and disability. In a prospective cohort study of more than 2,200 adults ages 70 to 79 (Chen et al., in review)
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From page 20... ...
This association was not seen for men in this cohort study. Fully adjusted analyses restricted to individuals with mild or greater hearing loss found that individuals who used hearing aids had functional scores that were not significantly different from individuals not using hearing aids.
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From page 21... ...
When the focus is on disability behaviors such as driving and social participation, however, hearing loss with correction may be the more meaningful exposure variable. As other speakers noted, a critical and fascinating question is whether hearing aid use or other forms of correction have a modifying effect on associations with physical functioning.
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• Hearing loss may have a negative impact on unexpected functional domains.
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Pichora-Fuller stated that hearing loss can have serious widespread health implications in terms of promoting healthy aging. "How do we save people from adverse events that they are likely to encounter because of communication problems?
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From page 24... ...
"Individuals, even adjusted for level of hearing loss over time, are performing more poorly on this test that doesn't require that you actually hear." The other longitudinal study Albert described is from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging, a prospective study of older adults that began in 1958. In 639 individuals followed for more than 10 years, those with hearing loss had a higher probability of developing dementia, with the probability rising with the severity of hearing loss (Lin et al., 2011b)
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From page 25... ...
The loss of hearing is obviously modifiable, Albert said. Therefore, a randomized controlled trial in which some individuals were given hearing aids and followed over time along with individuals who did not have hearing aids could demonstrate the effects of hearing loss on cognition and brain volumes, as well as on such factors as social engagement and quality of life, she concluded.
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From page 26... ...
(2012) also found an independent association between hearing disability and the presence of depressive symptoms after adjusting for age, sex, walking disability, receipt of pension payment, use of community support services, living alone, cognitive impairment, and history of arthritis or stroke.
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Hearing aid users are more likely to score slightly better on the physical summary scores of the SF-36 (Chia et al., 2007) , to use and need support services (Schneider et al., 2010)
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From page 28... ...
Preventive Services Task Force did not endorse screening for hearing loss or for cognitive decline, partly because studies have not been conducted demonstrating that interventions will have a beneficial effect relative to screening outcomes. It is also important, Weinstein added, that the efficacy of hearing aids in improving hearing quality of care and life be measured, because people with hearing aids have other health-related issues as well.
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From page 29... ...
This diversity creates problems for clinicians, who have to decide how best to help their patients. For example, perhaps the many people with hearing loss who do not use hearing aids need different kinds of solutions.
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