Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: The population older than age 65 is increasing and is expected to increase even more in the next 50 years. In the more developed regions of the world, current life expectancy is approximately 76 years, 10 years longer than life expectancy in 1950. By the year 2050, the projected life expectancy will be 82 years. In 1950, the age group older than 65 years represented only 8% of the population. By 2000, a little more than 14% of the population were older than 65, and by 2050, it is projected that this age group will comprise almost 26% of the population (United Nations Secretariat, 2004).
It is well known that physiologic and cognitive changes occur with age. Years ago, the stereotypical person older than 65 was retired from work, physically infirm, and possibly cognitively impaired. Today, a large number of people in the over-65 age group continue to be healthy and active. Gerontologists have considered the question of the attributes that contribute to “successful aging” and have determined that key factors are physical, mental, and social health.
The audiologist can play an important role in helping the senior citizen remain socially and mentally active through appropriate aural rehabilitation. Untreated hearing loss in the elderly interferes with communication and may interact negatively with cognitive changes that are due to aging. This issue of Trends in Amplification is devoted to the topic of aging and its influence on auditory communication. The issue provides up-to-date information about aging, hearing loss, cognition, and audiologic intervention in older adults.
In the first paper, Patricia Kricos provides a review of the research relevant to understanding the impact of age on hearing and cognitive function and their interactions as they relate to the aural rehabilitation of the elderly person with hearing loss. This information provides the foundation for an evidence-based clinical model for assessment and for audiologic intervention in this group.
The second paper, by M. Kathleen Pichora-Fuller and Gurjit Singh, provides a comprehensive review of theoretic approaches to auditory and cognitive processes in aging and argues for an integrated approach to understanding the interaction between auditory and cognitive processing in the elderly. The authors summarize and synthesize several areas of research that are not usually considered in traditional clinical approaches to understanding hearing in the elderly. Their paper provides an introduction to many new concepts and a broad context for approaching the aural rehabilitation of the geriatric population.
Source: Trends in Amplification
Author: Arlene C. Neuman
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2311441606