Objective Social isolation and loneliness are associated with increased mortality and higher health care spending in older adults. Hearing loss is a common condition in older adults and impairs communication and social interactions. The objective of this review is to summarize the current state of the literature exploring the association between hearing loss and social isolation and/or loneliness. Data Sources PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library. Review Methods Articles were screened for inclusion by 2 independent reviewers, with a third reviewer for adjudication. English-language studies of older adults with hearing loss that used a validated measure of social isolation or loneliness were included. A modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the studies included in the review. Results Of the 2495 identified studies, 14 were included in the review. Most of the studies (12/14) were cross-sectional. Despite the heterogeneity of assessment methods for hearing status (self-report or objective audiometry), loneliness, and social isolation, most multivariable-adjusted studies found that hearing loss was associated with higher risk of loneliness and social isolation. Several studies found an effect modification of gender such that among women, hearing loss was more strongly associated with loneliness and social isolation than among men. Conclusions Our findings that hearing loss is associated with loneliness and social isolation have important implications for the cognitive and psychosocial health of older adults. Future studies should investigate whether treating hearing loss can decrease loneliness and social isolation in older adults.

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Objectives/Hypothesis Previous research has shown hearing handicap to be reduced following hearing aid use or cochlear implantation in short‐to‐medium follow‐up periods, yet the impact of interventions for hearing loss on hearing handicap in the long term remains understudied. This article reports hearing handicap at 6 months, 12 months, and 5 years after either hearing aid provision or cochlear implantation. Study Design Observational study. Methods A study of 115 participants from the Studying Multiple Outcomes after Aural Rehabilitative Treatment (SMART) study cohort assessed self‐reported hearing handicap using the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening version (HHIE‐S) at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 5 years. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to estimate the population mean HHIE‐S score over time, accounting for the correlated nature of repeated measures data, and multiple imputation with chained equations was performed to impute missing data. Results Compared to baseline, mean HHIE‐S scores after hearing aid provision were significantly reduced at 6 months (mean = −7.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −10.40, −5.53), 12 months (mean = −6.58, 95% CI: −9.26, −3.90), and 5 years (mean = −4.58, 95% CI: −7.87, −1.30). After cochlear implantation, mean hearing handicap scores were also significantly lower compared to baseline at 6 months (mean = −8.18, 95% CI: −11.07, −5.30), 12 months (mean = −10.04, 95% CI: −12.92, −7.16), and 5 years (mean = −8.97, 95% CI: −12.92, −7.16). Conclusions This study found short‐term benefits from hearing aids and cochlear implantation on hearing handicap were maintained over 5 years. Laryngoscope, 131:1122–1126, 2021