Publications

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to determine factors associated with loneliness in older adults presenting for hearing loss treatment.

METHOD

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of 145 participants (aged 50-94) who presented for hearing aids or cochlear implants and were enrolled in the Studying Multiple Outcomes After Aural Rehabilitative Treatment (SMART) study from 2011 to 2013. Social, communicative, physical, and mental health functioning were assessed using self-administered questionnaires, and loneliness using the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale.

RESULTS

Younger age and greater hearing loss were significantly associated with greater loneliness. Metrics of depressive symptoms and hearing-related quality of life, communication difficulties, and emotional well-being, mental health, and 36-Item Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form (SF-36) scores were moderately or highly correlated with loneliness.

DISCUSSION

Younger age and greater hearing loss are independently associated with higher levels of loneliness in older adults presenting to clinic for hearing loss treatment. Further studies needed to determine whether hearing treatment can reduce loneliness in older adults.

Alzheimer disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are 2 neurodegenerative diseases with differing cognitive and neuropathologic profiles. Although both diseases ultimately result in functional disability, differences in the profiles of everyday functioning between the 2 groups have not been well characterized. The present study examines potential differences in the types of everyday functional limitations present in these 2 dementias. The present study compared individuals with AD (N=240) or FTD (N=13). The Everyday Cognition (ECog) scale was used to measure distinct domains of everyday cognition: everyday memory, everyday language, everyday visuospatial ability, and a variety of everyday executive abilities. A total ECog score was used to represent global disability level. The groups showed equivalent levels of global disability. However, AD group exhibited worse Everyday Memory and Everyday Visuospatial abilities than the FTD group. Contrary to expectation, FTD was not more impaired in everyday executive abilities. Results remained similar when accounting for severity of cognitive impairment or disease duration. Findings suggest that a somewhat different pattern of everyday functional difficulties can be seen across dementia types.