Logo image
Aging‐Related Balance Impairment and Hearing Loss
Book chapter

Aging‐Related Balance Impairment and Hearing Loss

Deema Fattal, Marlan Hansen and Bernd Fritzsch
The Wiley Handbook on the Aging Mind and Brain, pp.315-336
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
04/18/2018
DOI: 10.1002/9781118772034.ch16

View Online

Abstract

This chapter provides information on balance/gait, vestibular system and hearing. Balance/gait disorders (BGDs) occur as a function of age, sensory input decline, or motor control decline, limiting mobility and constituting a major cause of disability among the elderly. Cognitively impaired patients have BGD and slower gait predicts cognitive decline/dementia. There is multisensory degeneration in vision, in hearing, in proprioception, and in vestibular systems. The vestibular system has an important role to play in preventing falling—an increasingly common age‐related problem—by driving compensatory head and neck movements and adding crucial information to balance. Slow, progressive loss of hearing with aging is the most common neurosensory disorder, but counter measures such as cochlear implants can mitigate many of the problems of the dysfunction of the auditory system. Cochlear implants restore auditory perception and the ability to understand speech.
balance and gait disorders neurosensory disorder age‐related problem auditory perception hearing loss cochlear implants motor control decline vestibular system

Details

Metrics

29 Record Views
Logo image