Hearing Loss and Cognitive Function: An Analysis in Older Adults at the Beginning of the Auditory Rehabilitation...

To investigate the association between auditory thresholds and cognitive impairment in older adults at the beginning of the auditory rehabilitation process in a hearing health service. Cross-sectional study with older people (60 years and older) undergoing hearing rehabilitation at a hearing health care service (SASA) in the State of Santa Catarina from March to December 2022. Data was collected from users who attended to undergo an initial evaluation and start the auditory rehabilitation process during this period. Sociodemographic data, hearing and health perception, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) cognitive screening test, Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE-S), and pure tone audiometry were collected. 652 older adults participated in the research, with a mean age of 73 years, 51.68% female, 76.56% with sensorineural hearing loss, and 42.06% with moderately severe degree. It was found that for every 1 dB in the mean hearing thresholds, there was a reduction of 0.06 points in MoCA. This reduction was statistically significant, regardless of sex, age, education, and income. There was an association between worsening hearing thresholds and reduced MoCA scores in the older population. Most older adults reported a significant handicap in living with hearing loss and mean advanced age in the search for initial evaluation and hearing aid fitting.