Abstract
Abstract Older adults with hearing impairment (HI) experience communication challenges that may result in increased loneliness exacerbated by social distancing during COVID-19. Video-calling may mitigate isolation-related loneliness. We addressed this hypothesis in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), a longitudinal, nationally representative study of home-dwelling older US adults. Hearing ability was determined by interviewer-rating and loneliness/video-calling use by self-report. Fewer older adults (≥55 years) with HI (n=221) reported regular use of video-calling during the pandemic vs. those without HI (n=2337) (14% vs. 30%, p<0.001). Older adults with HI reported greater loneliness during COVID-19 (p=0.031), with video calls mitigating this relationship through a dose-dependent effect in adjusted analyses (interaction p=0.001). Video-calling decreases HI-related loneliness, despite potential barriers those with sensory impairment face using this technology. Promoting greater adoption of video-calling could be a strategy to protect against HI-related loneliness in aging.
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