When a senior citizen has hearing loss that is not treated, the result can be depression and social isolation. Studies show they may feel less satisfied with life, or feel that they are not aging successfully, and suffer real psychological pain.
A widely reported study from the National Council on the Aging studied 2,300 older people with hearing loss. The study found that such people were more likely to say they were depressed and socially isolated. (Social isolation means that they did not participate in organized social activities). These findings are echoed by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their handout on vision and hearing loss, which says "Isolation, depression, and poorer social relationships often accompany sight and hearing loss."
Importance of Hearing Aids for Seniors
The National Council on the Aging's study discovered that more than 40 percent of seniors with hearing aids took part in social activities, compared to 32 percent of seniors with hearing loss who did not use hearing aids.
Another study compared seniors successfully using hearing aids to those who tried hearing aids unsuccessfully. Both a geriatric depression scale, and a satisfaction with life scale were used. The study discovered that seniors who had unsuccessfully tried hearing aids, actually had more depression and lower life satisfaction.
Losing Touch with Those Around Them
In the About.com Deafness blog post "Stubborn Older Deaf Person," an example was given of how hearing loss affects older people:
My 82 year old mother-in-law is now completely deaf and is losing touch with the people around her...
Aging Successfully Versus Not Aging Successfully
A long-term study presented at a Gerontological Society of America meeting found that not only did hearing loss make seniors feel more isolated, it also caused them to feel that they were not aging well. This was true even when the seniors with hearing loss did not have any other medical conditions.
Conclusion
Hearing loss is common in senior citizens, yet according to some researchers, many primary care doctors are not paying attention to hearing loss in their elderly patients. One study's authors wrote that they hoped their study would prove how important it was for senior citizens to get hearing aids. I have to agree. Emotional health is known to have a major impact on physical health, so logically a senior citizen whose hearing loss is not treated, is going to suffer poorer physical health. The finding that unsuccessful use of hearing aids worsens emotional health, indicates the potential impact of poorly fit hearing aids for senior citizens. Finally, financial inability to get hearing aids remains a problem for senior citizens; I frequently receive emails from families of seniors who need hearing aids but can not get them because Medicare does not cover hearing aids.
Sources:
Desai M, Pratt LA, Lentzner H, Robinson KN. Trends in Vision and Hearing Among Older Americans. Aging Trends; No.2. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2001. http://origin.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/agingtrends/02vision.pdf. Accessed March 2010.
Hearing loss factors heavily into seniors' quality of life. Family Practice News. Feb 15, 2006 v36 i4 p51(1).
Julie A. Bridges, Ruth A. Bentler. Relating Hearing Aid Use to Well-Being Among Older Adults. The Hearing Journal. July 1998, Vol 51 No. 7 pp 39-44. http://www.audiologyonline.com/theHearingJournal/pdfs/hj1998_07_p39.pdf. Accessed March 2010.
Untreated Hearing Loss Linked to Depression, Social Isolation in Seniors, http://www.audiology.org/resources/documentlibrary/Pages/UntreatedHearingLoss.aspx. Accessed March 2010.
