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Special Advertising Section | Sunday, October 19, 2025 29about fivefold the risk for those with severe hearing loss.In recent years, hearing aids have been deregulated, allowing greater accessibility with electronic earbuds. Online, search %u201cearbuds for hearing impaired%u201d for more affordable options.However, these devices are often expensive, especially those prescribed by audiologists, says Dr. Jenny RorabackCarson, a board-certified geriatrician and professor of gerontology at the University of Washington. Coverage by insurance is spotty, so for many people, hearing loss is just a fact of life.However, it can lead to isolation, Roraback-Carson says, and isolation is a risk factor for dementia. Losing sensory input like sound and retiring to a solitary life %u201ccan impact cognition negatively,%u201d she says.VisionVision changes typically begin in middle age, when many require reading glasses for close work. Roraback-Carson says older people who have used progressive scan or multifocal lenses should consider changing to single focus lenses. %u201cWhen you start to fall, your eyes will automatically look down,%u201d she notes. If you have bi- or trifocals, you will look down into a blur and your chances of catching your fall diminish. Having readers for that close work and a pair of glasses for nearsightedness is a better option.Other common age-related changes include cataracts and macular degeneration, which have medical interventions to preserve or restore vision. Contrast perception and depth perception also change with age %u2014 starting at around 45 %u2014 as does the ability to adapt to sudden changes in lighting.Dr. Tali Ness-Cohn, an occupational therapy physician and certified aging in place specialist, suggests increasing contrast wherever you can. For instance, if your porch steps are white, paint a black strip on the riser so you can better see where to place your feet. Increasing task lighting and changing the colors of light bulbs to create less glare are other helpful strategies. %u201cPut a night light in the bathroom and lighting on the path to get there,%u201d she advises.Nettie London started complaining to her assisted living facility about the quantity of garlic put in just about every food served. It was, she was told, because a lot of seniors lose some of their sense of taste as they age, and making food more flavorful made it more likely they would get their required nutrition. She just happened to be one of the lucky ones. Not that she felt that way at the time.While many understand that hearing and vision loss come with age, not everyone realizes that other senses can change. While some may be inevitable, others can be prevented or ameliorated.Auditory processing starts deteriorating in middle age, with lower and higher frequencies becoming harder to hear. According to the World Health Organization, about 20% of people in their 60s are hearing-impaired and about 40% in their 70s. For those over 80, more than two-thirds can expect to have some hearing loss. For those with mild cases, studies show dementia risk nearly doubles within 12 years. If hearing loss is moderate, the risk of dementia nearly triples, and it%u2019s Continued on next page Bestyears PHYSICAL HEALTHTo reduce the risk of falling, experts suggest using single focus lenses instead of multifocal lenses. (Lisa Jaffe / Special to Best Years)