Seniors with undiagnosed or untreated hearing problems are more susceptible to social isolation and cognitive impairment, according to a new University of B.C. study.
UBC Okanagan researchers examined the impact on seniors aged 60 to 69 and found that for every 10-decibel (the sound of calm breathing) drop in hearing sensitivity, the odds of social isolation increased by 52 per cent.
As well, a 10-decibel reduction of hearing sensitivity was associated with cognitive declines equivalent to almost four years of chronological aging.
“Hearing loss is often not thought of as a public health issue and as a result there is often not a lot of health care resources that have been put toward testing and hearing support,” said Paul Mick, a physician and clinical assistant professor at UBC’s Southern Medical Program, in a statement. “As social isolation has been shown to have similar impacts on mortality rates as smoking and alcohol consumption, this is something we should examine further at both the system and individual patient level.”
Mick’s study examined data between 1999 and 2010 by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a survey that samples 5,000 people each year in the U.S.
Mick’s study was recently published in the journal Ear and Hearing.
