Australian older adults\u27 views on using social media for reducing social isolation and loneliness in hearing impaired older adults: A community conversation

Objective(s): The objective of this study was to conduct a community conversation to identify the views of the community members when designing an online community using Facebook to support the psychosocial well-being of hearing-impaired older adults. Methods: A community conversation was held with 40 older adults aged more than 60 years. The participants were divided into groups of five and asked to discuss three open-ended questions. The researchers facilitated the discussions. Results: The overwhelming response from this group was that they did not use Facebook or social media as a tool for social connection and did not see the benefits of social media applications. They preferred phone calls or in-person events to maintain their social relationships. Conclusions: Implications for areas of future research and interventions that target loneliness in older adults are discussed

Understanding the relationship between age-related hearing loss and Alzheimer\u27s disease: A narrative review

Evidence suggests that hearing loss (HL), even at mild levels, increases the long-term risk of cognitive decline and incident dementia. Hearing loss is one of the modifiable risk factors for dementia, with approximately 4 million of the 50 million cases of dementia worldwide possibly attributed to untreated HL. This paper describes four possible mechanisms that have been suggested for the relationship between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD), which is the most common form of dementia. The first mechanism suggests mitochondrial dysfunction and altered signal pathways due to aging as a possible link between ARHL and AD. The second mechanism proposes that sensory degradation in hearing impaired people could explain the relationship between ARHL and AD. The occupation of cognitive resource (third) mechanism indicates that the association between ARHL and AD is a result of increased cognitive processing that is required to compensate for the degraded sensory input. The fourth mechanism is an expansion of the third mechanism, i.e., the function and structure interaction involves both cognitive resource occupation (neural activity) and AD pathology as the link between ARHL and AD. Exploring the specific mechanisms that provide the link between ARHL and AD has the potential to lead to innovative ideas for the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of AD. This paper also provides insight into the current evidence for the use of hearing treatments as a possible treatment/prevention for AD, and if auditory assessments could provide an avenue for early detection of cognitive impairment associated with AD

The relationship between hearing loss and cognitive impairment in a Chinese elderly population : the baseline analysis

OBJECTIVES : The objective of the study was to investigate the association between untreated age-related hearing loss and cognitive impairment in Mandarin-speaking older adults living in China. METHODS : Older adults (293; 111 males, M = 70.33 4.90 years; 182 females, M = 69.02 4.08 years) were recruited. All participants completed a pure tone audiometric hearing assessment, Hearing Impairment-Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test (HI-MoCA), and a computerized neuropsychology test battery (CANTAB). The Mandarin version of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale was used to measure the loneliness, and the Mandarin version of the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to measure the current severity of a range of symptoms common to depression, stress, and anxiety of the participants. RESULTS : A multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that the average of four mid-frequency thresholds in the better ear was related to CANTAB Paired Associates Learning (b = 0.20, p = 0.002), and the global cognitive function score (HI-MoCA) (b = 0.25, p < 0.001). The average of three high frequencies in the better ear was significantly associated with CANTAB Delayed Matching to Sample (b = 0.16, p = 0.008), and Spatial Working Memory (b = 0.17, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION : The results revealed a significant relationship between age-related hearing loss and cognitive impairment in Mandarin-speaking older adults. These research outcomes have clinical implications specifically for hearing health care professionals in China and other populations that speak a tonal language, especially when providing hearing rehabilitation.The Reform and Development Grant of Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Natural Science Foundation of China.http://www.frontiersin.org/Neuroscienceam2022Speech-Language Pathology and Audiolog

Comparison of auditory steady-state responses with conventional audiometry in older adults

Behavioral measures, such as pure-tone audiometry (PTA), are commonly used to determine hearing thresholds, however, PTA does not always provide reliable hearing information in difficult to test individuals. Therefore, objective measures of hearing sensitivity that require little-to-no active participation from an individual are needed to facilitate the detection and treatment of hearing loss in difficult to test people. Investigation of the reliability of the auditory steady-state response (ASSR) for measuring hearing thresholds in older adults is limited. This study aimed to investigate if ASSR can be a reliable, objective measure of frequency specific hearing thresholds in older adults. Hearing thresholds were tested at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz in 50 participants aged between 60 and 85 years old, using automated PTA and ASSR. Hearing thresholds obtained from PTA and ASSR were found to be significantly correlated (p \u3c .001) in a cohort consisting of participants with normal hearing or mild hearing loss. ASSR thresholds were significantly higher as compared to PTA thresholds, but for the majority of cases the difference remained within the clinically acceptable range (15 dB). This study provides some evidence to suggest that ASSR can be a valuable tool for estimating objective frequency-specific hearing thresholds in older adults and indicate that ASSR could be useful in creating hearing treatment plans for older adults who are unable to complete behavioral PTA. Further research on older adults is required to improve the methodological features of ASSR to increase consistency and reliability, as well as minimize some of the limitations associated with this technique

The impact of untreated hearing loss on depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness in tonal language-speaking older adults in China

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.BACKGROUND : Age-related hearing loss, mental health conditions, and loneliness commonly affect older adults. This study aimed to determine whether untreated hearing loss is independently associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness in tonal language-speaking older adults in China. STUDY DESIGN : Observational, cross-sectional study. METHODS : 293 older adults (111 males, M = 70.33 ± 4.90 years; 182 females, M = 69.02 ± 4.08 years) were recruited. All participants completed a pure tone audiometric hearing assessment, and provided information on living arrangements, marital status, leisure activities, tobacco and alcohol use, and medical history. The Mandarin version of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale was used to measure loneliness, and the Mandarin version of the 21- item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess a range of symptoms common to depression, stress, and anxiety of the participants. The analysis focused on determining the predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress, and the predictors of measures of loneliness. RESULTS : Multiple stepwise regression analyses revealed that the emotional loneliness (β = 0.303, p < 0.001) and living status (β = 0.110, p = 0.048) significantly predicted DASS depression scores; emotional loneliness (β = 0.276, p < 0.001) and a history of vascular disease (β = 0.148, p = 0.009) were significantly related to DASS anxiety scores; emotional loneliness (β = 0.341, p < 0.001) and a history of vascular disease (β = 0.129, p = 0.019) significantly predicted DASS stress scores. Furthermore, multiple stepwise regression analyses showed that DASS stress scores (β = 0.333, p < 0.001), education years (β = −0.126, p = 0.020), marriage status (β = 0.122, p = 0.024), and a history of vascular disease (β = 0.111, p = 0.044) significantly predicted emotional loneliness; four-frequency average hearing loss (β = 0.149, p = 0.010) and DASS stress scores (β = 0.123, p = 0.034) significantly predicted social loneliness scale; and four-frequency average hearing loss (β = 0.167, p = 0.003) and DASS stress scores (β = 0.279, p < 0.001) also significantly predicted overall loneliness. There were no significant associations with high-frequency hearing loss. CONCLUSION : This study revealed that loneliness has a significant relationship both with hearing loss and aspects of mental health in an older adult Mandarin-speaking population. However, mental health was not significantly associated with hearing loss in this population.The Reform and Development Grant of Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Natural Science Foundation of China and National Key Research and Development Program.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychologyam2023Speech-Language Pathology and Audiolog

Peripheral hearing loss and its association with cognition among ethnic Chinese older adults

INTRODUCTION : Many studies on hearing loss (HL) and cognition are limited by subjective hearing assessments and verbally administered cognition tests, the majority of the document findings in Western populations. This study aimed to assess the association of HL with cognitive impairment among ethnic Chinese Singaporean older adults using visually presented cognitive tests. METHODS : The hearing of community- dwelling older adults was assessed using pure tone audiometry. Cognitive function was assessed using the Computerized Cambridge Cognitive Test Battery (CANTAB). Multiple regression analyses examined the association between hearing and cognitive function, adjusted for age, education, and gender. RESULTS : HL (pure-tone average [PTA] of thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the better ear, BE4PTA) was associated with reduced performance in delayed matching and multitasking tasks (β = −0.25, p = 0.019, and β = 0.02, p = 0.023, respectively). Moderate to severe HL was associated with reduced performance in delayed matching and verbal recall memory tasks (β = −10.6, p = 0.019, and β = −0.28, p = 0.042). High-frequency HL was associated with reduced performance in the spatial working memory task (β = 0.004, p = 0.022). All-frequency HL was associated with reduced performance in spatial working memory and multitasking (β = 0.01, p = 0.040, and β = 0.02, p = 0.048). CONCLUSION : Similar to Western populations, HL among tonal language- speaking ethnic Chinese was associated with worse performance in tasks requiring working memory and executive function.Jurong Health Research and Development Fundhttps://www.karger.com/DEMam2022Speech-Language Pathology and Audiolog

Choice to Use Hearing Aids Associated with Mental-Health Benefits: A Longitudinal Study

Objectives: Mental-health issues and untreated hearing loss contributed over 460 million disability-adjusted life years in 2019, costing approximately $6 trillion USD in economic losses. Furthermore, previous research has found untreated hearing loss to be a significant, modifiable risk factor of mental-health issues. However, whether hearing-loss treatment with hearing aids alleviates associated elevations in mental-health symptoms is unknown. Thus, the current study longitudinally assessed whether hearing-aid use can improve depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in those with hearing loss. Methods: We tested 179 middle-aged-to-older adults (ages 40 to 89 years) who, based on an audiometric assessment and choice to be treated, were assigned to normal-hearing (n = 44), hearing-aided (n = 72), and hearing-loss (n = 63) groups. Participants completed the short-form Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) at four timepoints (baseline, three months, six months, 12 months). Data were analysed with linear mixed-effects modelling. Results: Results showed that depression, anxiety, and stress levels of those who chose hearing-aid treatment were more stable than those with moderate-to-worse hearing loss who chose no treatment; those who chose hearing-aid treatment also showed similar levels to those with normal hearing. Conclusions: The current findings suggest that those with moderate-to-worse hearing loss who choose no hearing-loss treatment are at greater risk of mental-health issues; conversely, those who choose treatment with hearing aids appear to be at lower risk. However, randomised controlled trials are needed to ascertain whether treatment with hearing aids can cause reduction in mental-health symptomology of those with hearing loss

Impact of Aging on the Auditory System and Related Cognitive Functions: A Narrative Review

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL), presbycusis, is a chronic health condition that affects approximately one-third of the world's population. The peripheral and central hearing alterations associated with age-related hearing loss have a profound impact on perception of verbal and non-verbal auditory stimuli. The high prevalence of hearing loss in the older adults corresponds to the increased frequency of dementia in this population. Therefore, researchers have focused their attention on age-related central effects that occur independent of the peripheral hearing loss as well as central effects of peripheral hearing loss and its association with cognitive decline and dementia. Here we review the current evidence for the age-related changes of the peripheral and central auditory system and the relationship between hearing loss and pathological cognitive decline and dementia. Furthermore, there is a paucity of evidence on the relationship between ARHL and established biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, as the most common cause of dementia. Such studies are critical to be able to consider any causal relationship between dementia and ARHL. While this narrative review will examine the pathophysiological alterations in both the peripheral and central auditory system and its clinical implications, the question remains unanswered whether hearing loss causes cognitive impairment or vice versa

Speech-in-noise performance in objectively determined cochlear implant maps, including the effect of cognitive state.

ObjectiveCochlear Implant (CI) programming based on subjective psychophysical fine-tuning of loudness scaling involves active participation and cognitive skills and thus may not be appropriate for difficult-to-condition populations. The electrically evoked stapedial reflex threshold (eSRT) is an objective measure that is suggested to provide clinical benefit to CI programming. This study aimed to compare speech reception outcomes between subjective and eSRT objectively determined CI maps for adult MED-EL recipients. The effect of cognitive skills on these skills was further assessed.MethodsTwenty-seven post lingually hearing-impaired MED-EL CI recipients were recruited, 6 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI- 4 male, 79 years ± 5), 21 with normal cognitive function (5 male, 63 years ± 12). Two MAPs were generated: a subjective MAP and an objective MAP in which eSRTs determined maximum comfortable levels (M-Levels). Participants were randomly divided into two groups. Group A trialled the objective MAP for two weeks before returning for outcome assessment. During the following two weeks, Group A trialled the subjective MAP before returning for outcome assessment. Group B trialled MAPs in reverse. Outcome measures included the Hearing Implant Sound Quality Index (HISQUI), Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC) word test, and Bamford-Kowal-Bench Speech-in-Noise (BKB-SIN) test.ResultseSRT based MAPS were obtained in 23 of the participants. A strong relationship was demonstrated between global charge between eSRT-based and psychophysical-based M-Levels (r = 0.89, p ConclusionResults indicate eSRT-based methods provide poorer outcomes than psychophysical-based method. While speech-in-noise reception is correlated with MoCA-HI score, this affected both behaviourally and objectively determined MAPs. The results suggest fair confidence in the eSRT-based method as a guide for setting M-Level for difficult-to-condition CI populations in simple listening conditions

Central Auditory Functions of Alzheimer&rsquo;s Disease and Its Preclinical Stages: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

In 2020, 55 million people worldwide were living with dementia, and this number is projected to reach 139 million in 2050. However, approximately 75% of people living with dementia have not received a formal diagnosis. Hence, they do not have access to treatment and care. Without effective treatment in the foreseeable future, it is essential to focus on modifiable risk factors and early intervention. Central auditory processing is impaired in people diagnosed with Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease (AD) and its preclinical stages and may manifest many years before clinical diagnosis. This study systematically reviewed central auditory processing function in AD and its preclinical stages using behavioural central auditory processing tests. Eleven studies met the full inclusion criteria, and seven were included in the meta-analyses. The results revealed that those with mild cognitive impairment perform significantly worse than healthy controls within channel adaptive tests of temporal response (ATTR), time-compressed speech test (TCS), Dichotic Digits Test (DDT), Dichotic Sentence Identification (DSI), Speech in Noise (SPIN), and Synthetic Sentence Identification-Ipsilateral Competing Message (SSI-ICM) central auditory processing tests. In addition, this analysis indicates that participants with AD performed significantly worse than healthy controls in DDT, DSI, and SSI-ICM tasks. Clinical implications are discussed in detail