VIDEO CALLING REDUCES LONELINESS FOR HEARING IMPAIRED OLDER US ADULTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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