According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), approximately one in three people aged 65–74 experience hearing loss. For those over 75, the statistic is closer to one in two. The term for age-related hearing loss is presbycusis, which is caused by natural wear and tear of the auditory system.
The process of hearing occurs not just in the ears but also in the brain. The ears channel sound waves and convert them to vibrations, which the auditory nerve transmits to the brain for interpretation.
According to a study by the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, senior patients with hearing loss improved their speech recognition by exercising their brains with computerized games.
Study Details
Throughout the study, elderly patients with hearing loss used a closed-loop (CL) computer audio game that had them listen for subtle changes in sound to solve puzzles. At the end of eight weeks, those in the CL group correctly identified 25% more words in background noise than those in the control group, whose video game did not include sound cues for the puzzles.
This finding is significant as it could change the way audiologists work with their patients. There are several brain training programs already on the market that some specialists have implemented in their patient care, including Listening and Communication Enhancement AI Pro (LACE AI Pro).
Additional Ideas for Brain Training
Beyond formal software programs, seniors can incorporate these everyday activities to strengthen their auditory processing and support overall communication:
- Listening Journals: Spend five minutes a day listening to everyday sounds, then write down what you heard. This helps strengthen sound identification and memory.
- Audio‑Based Puzzles: Try podcasts or audiobooks played at slightly slower speeds, gradually increasing difficulty as comprehension improves.
- Background‑Noise Challenges: Practice identifying words or sentences while soft background noise plays, such as light music or a fan. This mimics real‑world listening environments.
- Musical Training: Learning simple rhythms or tapping patterns can improve timing perception, which is closely tied to speech understanding.
- Group Conversation Practice: Joining a book club, a senior center group or an online discussion helps exercise the parts of the brain responsible for attention and auditory memory.
- Dual‑Task Exercises: Combine listening with light movement, such as listening to instructions while doing chair exercises, to enhance cognitive flexibility.
If you or someone you know is experiencing hearing loss, now is a great time to explore how brain training can support better listening and communication. Reach out to Beneficial Hearing Aid Center to discuss which programs may be right for you.