Research summary
Older adults with hearing loss are three times more likely to fall than their peers. Although the connection between hearing loss and balance might not seem obvious, Dr. Jennifer Campos, Canada Research Chair in Multisensory Integration and Aging, hopes to make it clearer.
She and her research team are investigating how people’s brains make use of information from multiple senses at once, such as sight, sound and touch. They are exploring how multisensory integration changes with age and how how hearing loss affects mobility, studying the increased risk of developing dementia in those with sensory loss, and assessing the usefulness of virtual reality and simulation technologies in rehabilitation. Their work will position Canada as a leader in rehabilitation research, and could lead to new tools to improve quality of life for millions of older adults with sensory loss and cognitive impairment.