By Nicole M. Farmer, MD

The five senses work together to help us find our way through the world. Ironically as we move throughout life, the five senses change as almost as much as we age. Ask any person approaching fifty and they can tell you at least a few minor changes they may have noted while trying to focus on objects more while driving or while trying to concentrate harder on words said from across the room.

As common as the complaints are about how the senses change with age, the reasons behind the changes and the total impact on the lives of older people are less known to most people.

In this article we will look into the changes that occur with each of the five senses: hearing, vision, touch, taste, and smell.

Hearing

One of the most important senses is hearing. It is thought to be the only sense that can invoke other senses. Not only does our ability to hear affect our ability to appreciate wonderful things in life, such as a favorite song, once our hearing is impaired there may also be balance issues that ensue. Thus making understanding how and when to recognize hearing loss changes all the more important.

Over one-third of those over 65 and half of those over 85 have some hearing loss. The ability to have sharp, clear hearing may start to decline at the age of 50. Age related hearing loss is caused presbycusis.

Loss of hearing can lead to social isolation and depression. Changes with hearing can also cause falls because hearing contributes to balance.

Unfortunately, hearing is often under diagnosed and undertreated. This may be because assessment of hearing and hearing aids has not been covered under Medicare or most other health plans. Another potential reason for under diagnosis is that hearing loss occurs gradually and we may be unaware of subtle changes. One way to help determine if you or a family member is starting to experience age related hearing changes is the whisper test- done by whispering in the ears. Other signs to look for are frustration with talking to family members, problems understanding conversations in noisy rooms, difficulty watching television. With presbycusis, consonants become a major problem in conversation. The subtle sounds made by the letters z,s,f,p,g,t are difficult to understand for someone with hearing loss. An important note to remember is that when raising your voice, consonant sounds become harder to hear. So speaking louder makes it harder for those with hearing loss to actually understand.

While hearing loss from presbycusis is helped by hearing aids, sometimes hearing changes are from problems due to the ability to conduct sound through the ear. For example, impacted ear wax is common in the elderly due to increased water loss and can cause severe hearing impairment. Ironically, those with hearing aids may experience an increased amount of impacted ear wax.

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