Sensory health is fundamental to maintaining independence, cognitive vitality, and overall well-being in later life. Yet, sensory impairments—encompassing hearing, vision, taste, smell, and balance—often remain underdiagnosed and undertreated, contributing to declines in physical, psychosocial and cognitive functioning, and diminished health and well-being among older adults. There is a growing recognition that innovative, multidisciplinary approaches are needed to identify, manage, and support sensory loss throughout the aging process, including influences accruing from midlife onward.

This Research Topic invites manuscripts that explore technological, clinical, community-based, and policy innovations to enhance sensory health in older age, while embracing a life course perspective. The aim is to create a broad, multidisciplinary platform highlighting how sensory health can be supported through integrated efforts in rehabilitation, assistive technology, primary care, community support, environmental modifications and universal design principles, and health system optimization.

Key Themes

· Frailty and Multi-Sensory Impairments

o Intersections between sensory loss (including vision, hearing, taste, vestibular function, olfaction, and multiple senses) and the development of frailty.

o Novel approaches to frailty screening and assessment in primary care and community settings.

o Mechanistic insights and prevention strategies.

· Cognitive Decline and Interventions

o Impact of interventions (e.g., hearing aids, as demonstrated in the ACHIEVE trial and ERIC studies) on cognitive outcomes.

o Comparative analyses from randomized trials and real-world, community-based populations.

· Olfaction and Predictive Health

o The role of olfactory function in predicting physical health markers such as grip strength, gait speed, incident dementia, and frailty.

· Data-Driven and Clinical Perspectives

o Leveraging large-scale longitudinal datasets to unravel pathways linking sensory impairments with health outcomes.

o Innovative models of prevention within healthcare systems and primary care.

· Equity and Global Context

o Addressing disparities in sensory health from a global perspective, emphasizing research from low- and middle-income countries.

o Cultural and health system factors influencing access to screening, diagnosis, rehabilitation, assistive technology (e.g., hearing aids, cataract surgery), and telehealth solutions.

· Interventions

o Biomedical, clinical, environmental, and social interventions that hold promise for preserving or restoring sensory function and reducing associated inequities.

· Universal Design and Accessible Environments

o Research exploring the application of universal design principles to create inclusive and accessible research and healthcare spaces for people with sensory impairments.

o Innovations in environmental, digital, and clinical design that enhance usability, participation, and engagement for older adults with multi-sensory challenges.

Article Types and Audience

We welcome original research, reviews, data reports, perspectives, case studies, and policy papers. This multidisciplinary topic will be of interest to clinicians, researchers in geriatrics, public health, neuroscience, engineering, rehabilitation, policymakers, and anyone involved in aging and sensory health. We encourage submissions from emerging scholars, including student-led work.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Enhancing Sensory Health through Multidisciplinary Innovations in Later Life