Hearing loss and aging: new research findings and clinical implications

This review provides an overview of recent research that addressed hearing loss and auditory processing problems among elderly people. It focuses on research from the University of Maryland on problems in auditory temporal processing by elderly listeners as assessed in speech perception experiments using temporally altered signals and in psycho-acoustic experiments of duration and rhythm discrimination for simple and complex signals. Some recent studies of perceived hearing disability are also reviewed. The clinical implications of the research findings are discussed in relation to hearing aid performance and use by elderly people as well as potential signal processing strategies that may prove to be beneficial for this population.