A collaborative study with investigators from the Arnold School of Public Health, Communication Sciences and Disorders and the School of Medicine, Department of Neurology investigated the intricate relationship between hearing loss, cognitive decline, and social isolation among aging adults.

This study investigated the intricate relationship between hearing loss, cognitive decline, and social isolation among aging adults. This collaborative research among investigators from the Arnold School of Public Health, Communication Sciences and Disorders and the School of Medicine, Department of Neurology analyzed data from 128 participants and highlights that the ability to understand speech in noisy environments (as measured by the words-in-noise test) is more strongly associated with cognitive decline and social isolation than pure-tone average thresholds.

This finding underscores the importance of including word-recognition-in-noise tests and social isolation surveys in clinical assessments for older adults to better address these interconnected issues.

Arjmandi, M. K., Neils-Strunjas, J., Nemati, S., Fridriksson, J., Newman-Norlund, S., Newman-Norlund, R., & Bonilha, L. (2024). Age-Related Hearing Loss, Cognitive Decline, and Social Interaction: Testing a Framework. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 1–18. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00810