Summary. Introduction

Summary

Age-related hearing thresholds (presbycusis) have been studied and yet, there is not sufficient information and awareness in our social and healthcare systems about the impact of hearing loss on the quality of life of an older person. Additionally, our healthcare system ignores the relation between presbycusis, balance disorders and other associated comorbidities. And yet, this insight has great value to provide early, comprehensive care to older people with hearing loss associated, or not, to balance disorders. It would contribute to fine tune means of prevention and current treatments, while reducing the impact that hearing loss and/or balance disorders may have beyond the sensorial aspects: on the cognition, autonomy and sociability of the patients. Moreover, all these insights must be extremely interesting to public authorities and to the general population, as they support the societal economic impact analysis of older people’s hearing loss and balance disorders. We advance the concept of “active aging” or “healthy aging”, defined by the WHO as “the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age”.

This document aims to educate on: 1) the type of hearing loss and balance disorders among people over age 55 and the epidemiological and etiopathogenic traits that may be linked to such disorders; 2) the impact of hearing loss and balance disorders on healthy aging aspects, such as: communication, isolation, dependency, cognition, falls, depression… in sum, analyze the quality of life of older people; and 3) the positive impact of early intervention in hearing loss and balance disorders for older people, to improve their communication and cognitive ability, their mental state, autonomy and in short, their quality of life and the benefits this brings to society and the economy.

Introduction

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines active aging as "the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age", allowing individuals to "realize their potential for physical, social, and mental well-being throughout the life course". The list of factors that contribute to healthy aging is long and diverse, and there are increasingly more references to such prevailing factors as hearing loss, balance disorders and how preventing and treating deafness and/or balance disorders may unleash positive effects on several health-related aspects (cognition, independence, mental health), as they improve overall health and quality of life, thereby reducing the economic impact all these morbidities have on the families and society in general

This document aims to educate on: 1) the type of hearing loss and balance disorders among people over age 55 and the epidemiological and etiopathogenic traits that may be linked to such disorders; 2) the impact of hearing loss and balance disorders on healthy aging aspects, such as: communication, isolation, dependency, cognition, falls, depression… in sum, analyze the quality of life of older people; and 3) the positive impact of early intervention in hearing loss and balance disorders for older people, to improve their communication and cognitive ability, their mental state, autonomy and in short, their quality of life and the benefits this brings to society and the economy.