Preface

Increasing evidence indicates that screening and early treatment of hearing disability have the potential to significantly improve the quality of life and extend the functional status of adult population. Hearing disability is indeed one of the most common chronic health conditions in older adults, and has important implications for the quality of life, such as functional decline, depression and social isolation. According to the 2004 report from the World Health Organization, released in 2008, hearing loss is the first among the 20 leading causes of moderate- to-severe disability. The diminished ability to hear and to communicate is frustrating in and of itself, but the strong association of hearing disability with depression and functional decline adds further to the burden on individuals who are hearing impaired...