Narrative engagement in story listening: The challenge of age and vision loss
Key points: Older adults with vision loss adapt to audiobooks both emotionally and technically, ultimately finding in them a renewed source of comfort, connection, and narrative engagement.
Publication:
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Background
Reading for pleasure is an activity with clear health benefits. Being absorbed in a captivating novel contributes to cognitive, emotional, and social well-being by reducing stress and depression and inducing feelings of relaxation. Many older adults experience vision loss, which can make reading printed books difficult, and losing the ability to read can therefore feel like losing an important part of oneself. Audiobooks are a common way to enjoy stories through listening. Still, we know little about how older adults with vision loss adapt to this format, or how it may change their relationship to stories, technology, and identity. The current work explores this topic by studying how people experience the transition to audiobooks and how this process affects their narrative engagement. The research also examines how factors such as voice, narration, and listening environments shape the experience of immersion, as well as how audiobook use fits into everyday life routines such as bedtime, housework, and social activities like book clubs.
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The Research
Using in-depth qualitative interviews with adults aged 60 and older, the current study explored the personal experiences of older adults with vision loss in their transition from reading print to listening to audiobooks. The interviews were conversational and guided by a protocol co-developed with a collaborator who is legally blind and an experienced audiobook user, to ensure it was grounded in lived experience. Participants were recruited through collaboration with organizations such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), and they represented diverse vision-loss histories, reading identities, and socio-demographic backgrounds. The interviews were analyzed thematically by an interdisciplinary team of researchers, allowing multiple perspectives to inform both empirical and theoretical interpretations.
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The Findings
The empirical findings show that older adults describe audiobook listening as both a technical and emotional adaptation. Many initially struggled with unfamiliar devices or grieved the loss of traditional reading, but over time, they developed new skills and routines around listening to books. In fact, listening became a main source of comfort, companionship, and cognitive stimulation. The narrator’s voice often played a key role in creating feelings of presence and connection. For some, audiobooks also reopened doors to shared activities through joining audiobook clubs or discussing audiobooks with family members and friends.
As an interdisciplinary project drawing on concepts from gerontology, sensory studies, auditory science, disability studies, narrative theory, and gerontological scholarship, the work has also developed new conceptual understandings of narrative engagement in the context of aging and sensory change. These conceptual insights have begun to inspire discussions about policy and practice, including emerging work on accessible audiobook production guidelines.
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Next Steps
Building on these insights, the next phases of this work will examine how audiobook listening can be better supported within the social worlds and everyday contexts of older adults with vision loss. There is also a need to understand how audiobook practices intersect with broader questions of aging, particularly for older adults navigating multiple forms of sensory change, including hearing loss. Dual sensory loss may introduce additional layers of complexity, shaping how older adults access narration, participate in shared listening, and engage in book-based conversations. Future research will explore how institutions such as public libraries and community organizations can foster more inclusive environments for (shared) listening, lifelong engagement with narrative materials, and cultural participation.
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Further reading
Mathiesen, S. L., Grenier, A., Wittich, W., Sukhai, M., & Herrmann, B. (2025a). Age, vision loss, and audiobooks: Experiences of the transition to a new medium. Public preprint.
Mathiesen, S. L., Grenier, A., Wittich, W., Sukhai, M., & Herrmann, B. (2025b). Narrative engagement in story listening: The challenge of age and vision loss. Journal of Aging Studies, 75, 101355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2025.101355
Mathiesen, S. L., Hedger, S. C. V., Irsik, V. C., Bain, M. M., Johnsrude, I. S., & Herrmann, B. (2024). Exploring Age Differences in Absorption and Enjoyment during Story Listening. Psychology International, 6(2), 667–684. https://doi.org/10.3390/psycholint6020041
Mathisen, S.L. (2025). Toward Inclusive Audiobook Production for Older Adults with Vision Loss. AGE-WELL National Innovation Hub (APPTA) Knowledge Translation Blog Post. Link to full policy brief. October 22, 2025.
Funding
