The Surgeon General has declared loneliness to be a costly epidemic because of its prevalence and impacts on health outcomes. Hearing is a social sense critical to communication, social connectedness, and quality of life. The burden of hearing loss is well documented yet hearing loss remains under-identified, and under-valued. Proven to be sophisticated technologically and beneficial, hearing aids are under-utilized in part because audiologists fail to connect hearing aid use to increased social engagement and auditory wellness. Social prescribing, auditory wellness, and social connectedness as relate to hearing aid fitting will be the focus of this seminar.
Learning Objectives:
Include social prescribing as part of their recommendations following a hearing aid fitting
Appreciate the connection and import of social connectedness in the lives of older adults with hearing loss
Differentiate between and understand the distinction between loneliness and social isolation
.png)
.jpg "Barbara Weinstein, PhD photo")