Abstract
Baby boomers are rapidly approaching retirement and soon will be placing a greater burden on services required of older Americans as this segment of the United States population ages. Even though the baby boomers have been more active, age negatively impacts the body. As individuals age, the auditory system starts to deteriorate. Statistics indicate that 30% of individuals between the age of 65-74, and 47% of individuals over the age of 75 have hearing issues (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders [NIDCD], 2008). As communication experts, speech-language pathologists must be able to recognize and differentiate between signs of hearing loss and signs of cognitive deficits. This article will review the function of the auditory system and types of hearing loss. It also will present hearing screening procedures that speech-language pathologists must understand and incorporate into regular practice.
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