Questions on Robert Mueller's Hearing Ability Highlight Another Challenge for Older Workers

Robert Mueller's recent testimony, which prompted speculation that a "health issue" was inhibiting his performance, gives rise to consideration of "normal cognitive aging" — how older adults, without necessarily having any dementia-related cognitive impairment, experience declines in certain cognitive skills, reports Forbes . These declines particularly concern processing speed, memory, problem-solving, and executive functioning, which dovetail with policy issues around older adults in the workforce. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders estimates that one third of all Americans between 65 and 74 suffer from some measure of hearing loss. Meanwhile, AARP has been warning that people with hearing loss are at a greater risk of developing dementia. In the workplace, this means some staffers will have to get used to accepting co-workers with hearing aids as capable contributors and not stigmatize them. Whether the U.S. workforce is ready to do this remains an open question.