Aging and Hearing: Causes and Consequences

A research-driven look at hearing and aging

Aging and Hearing: Causes and Consequences gathers current scholarship on age-related hearing loss and places it in a wider scientific context. Edited by Karen S. Helfer, Edward L. Bartlett, Arthur N. Popper, and Richard R. Fay, this volume brings together biological, neural, cognitive, and clinical perspectives on one of the most common conditions associated with aging.

The book’s strength is its range. Rather than treating hearing loss as a single isolated problem, it follows the topic from genetic and molecular influences through cochlear and auditory-nerve changes, brainstem and cortical aging, electrophysiology, and the real-world impact of degraded hearing on communication and listening effort.

What the volume covers

• Age-related changes in the auditory system
• Central nervous system and cortical changes linked to hearing decline
• Speech understanding and listening challenges in older adults
• Epidemiology, rehabilitation, and intervention
• Emerging treatment strategies for age-related hearing loss

Why it stands out

This is a carefully organized scholarly reference rather than a general-audience overview. Its chapter structure makes it especially useful for readers who want to connect mechanisms with consequences: how changes in the ear and nervous system can shape communication, daily functioning, and rehabilitation choices.

Well suited to

Graduate students, researchers, clinicians, and academic libraries will find the book particularly relevant, along with professionals working in audiology, auditory neuroscience, and hearing-related rehabilitation.

For readers looking for a serious, current reference on the science of aging and hearing, this volume offers a clear and substantive place to begin.