Sound has the power to stimulate the brain, which is why hearing loss has the potential to have a profound effect on health—especially among older adults.
About 1 in 3 people in the United States between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss, according to the National Institutes of Health. A 2016 study in the American Journal of Public Health found about two-thirds of adults ages 70 or older suffer from hearing impairment that may affect daily communication.
Hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline, though more research is needed to determine the degree of the connection, said Dr. Costantino Iadecola, director of the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research…
