Narrative engagement in story listening: The challenge of age and vision loss

Narrative engagement offers substantial psychosocial benefits, including cognitive health, emotional and social well-being, and longevity. However, vision loss in older adults can pose challenges in accessing printed narratives. As individuals may shift from print to auditory narratives due to age-related vision loss, understanding how this transition affects narrative engagement becomes crucial. The current work provides a synthesis of the intersection of aging, vision loss, and narrative engagement, focusing on cognitive, emotional, and sensory changes. We discuss how age and vision loss may modify critical components of story engagement, potentially altering narrative consumption and experience. Our research highlights the need to adapt research methodologies and measurement scales to suit older adults and auditory narratives, ensuring they capture unique aspects of auditory engagement and account for sensory impairments. We propose novel directions for studying narrative engagement and offer insights for future research to provide inclusive and accessible narrative forms that support the cognitive and emotional well-being of older adults.