Improving the Accessibility and Quality of Hearing Health Services for Seniors with a Hearing Loss

Despite the clinical availability of audiological services to senior citizens relatively few seniors with hearing loss receive hearing healthcare services. The situation appears particularly concerning among seniors living in residential care settings, where it is estimated that 60-80% of residents have hearing loss, often without it even being identified. In addition, the adoption and use of hearing aids remain suboptimal. Indeed, between 25% and 32% of these individuals own hearing aids in Canada; among them, only 5% to 40% use them rarely or not at all. The work carried out in our laboratory is part of this ongoing effort to advance hearing healthcare, through the development of tools, knowledge, and interventions aimed at supporting clinical practice and facilitating system-level improvements. We hope to contribute, alongside the broader audiology community, to building more accessible, equitable, and effective services for Canadian seniors.