Age-related hearing loss has been independently associated with worse quality of life, depression, social isolation, functional decline, increase falls, increased hospitalization and health care use, and accelerated cognitive decline, and increase risk of dementia. Hearing aids or cochlear implants may improve communication, social and emotional function, and cognitive function.

• Access to effective communication with the surrounding is lost. Many large epidemiologic studies have documented a number of negative results associated with hearing loss in the context of healthy aging. Age-related hearing loss has been independently associated with worse quality of life, depression, social isolation, functional decline, increase falls, increased hospitalization and health care use, and accelerated cognitive decline, and increase risk of dementia.
• Hearing loss also affects social relationships, the quality of life, psychological aspects, motor skills, and function and morphology in specific portions of the brain. Mild, moderate, and severe hearing loss had a 2-, 3-, and 5-fold increased risk, respectively, for incident dementia.^[2]
• The limited ability to comprehend and respond may reduce the cognitive resources available for auditory perception, increasing the effects of hearing loss. So cognitive impairment worsens hearing loss.
• Increase risk for social isolation, increased cognitive load, and altered cortical processing.
• Hearing loss should be considered when performing a geriatric assessment for cognitive testing in elderly subjects. To minimize any false-positive results, several neurocognitive tests were transformed into non-auditory versions recently, eg the commonly used Hearing-Impaired Montreal Cognitive Assessment. This test excludes the use of the auditory system for the assessment of cognition in the elderly.^[3]
• A study conducted on 50 individuals with presbycusis does not show any social involvement related to hearing loss.^[4]
• Effective treatment with hearing aids or cochlear implants may improve communication, social and emotional function, and cognitive function and positively impact the quality of life.^[5]