Grant: Operating Grant

The maintenance of balance and walking is critical social participation, and to the safety and independence of Canadian seniors. Emerging research shows that these motor skills are increasingly reliant on cognitive processes with old age. For example, walking stability can be compromised when simultaneously performing an absorbing mental task such as carrying on a conversation. Similarly, recent research shows that central cognitive resources are used by older adults to compensate for hearing impairment when listening to sentences. Consequently, listening becomes more effortful and demands more cognitive resources. Combining these two independent areas of research, a strong implication is that older adults with hearing impairment may be particularly vulnerable to imbalance and falls. To date, this hypothesis has not been systematically examined. The proposed project is designed to address this gap in the aging literature. We will compare healthy young (aged 18-35), older (aged 60-85) and older hearing impaired (aged 60-85) adults in a series of experiments involving listening comprehension and simultaneous motor tasks (walking, balancing). These studies will range from controlled laboratory-based assessments of mobility and listening to a simulated everyday situation: street crossing while listening to directions. These experiments will then form the basis for an intervention component, in which older adults with and without hearing impairment undergo cognitive and physical training to improve mobility. Together, the planned work will advance existing knowledge about the interacting effects of age-related losses in hearing and mobility. This evidence in turn will inform training intervention programs and contribute to improved mobility, and in turn, social participation, in our rapidly aging population.