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Research · for Armed forces & veterans' organisations

Older Veterans: Hearing Loss, Trauma and Dementia Decades After Service

Published 2026-10-16

In the US and in England and Wales, about half of all veterans are now older people. In the US, 49% of veterans were 65 or older in 2021[1], and in England and Wales the figure was 53.0%[2]. Many carry the marks of service into later life, above all hearing loss, tinnitus and the after-effects of trauma and brain injury, and many rely on general health and care services that may not know they ever served.

Most older veterans served long ago, and in later life their needs are mostly those of any older person. Some, though, go back to their service: noise-damaged hearing, a brain injury that never seemed serious, or memories that return when retirement, bereavement or illness removes the routines that kept them at bay. This study sets out what national statistics and research show about older veterans, mainly in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia, where the best data are. It compares them with older people who never served where the figures allow, and says plainly where the evidence is thin.

53%of UK armed forces veterans living in England and Wales were aged 65 or over at the 2021 Census, against 21.6% of people who had not served[2]
3.6 millionUS veterans received disability compensation for service-connected tinnitus in 2025, the most common service-connected condition; hearing loss was recorded for 1.7 million[3]

Around half of veterans in the US and the UK are now in later life

Censuses show how far the veteran population has aged. In the US, the Census Bureau's American Community Survey counted 8.1 million veterans aged 65 or older in 2021, nearly half (49%) of all veterans[1]. The largest group, 5.5 million, served during the Vietnam era; World War II veterans were the smallest wartime group, at 183,000[1]. Of these older US veterans, 96% are men[4].

The 2021 Census of England and Wales counted just over 1.85 million veterans, 53.0% of them (982,365) aged 65 or over, compared with 21.6% of people who had not served[2]. Almost a third (31.8%) were aged 80 or over, and 86.4% were men[2]. In Canada, the 2021 Census counted 461,240 veterans, 41.8% of them aged 65 or older, including 33,420 aged 85 or older; nearly one in six (16.2%) were women[5].

Country, yearVeterans countedShare aged 65+Source
United States, 202116.5 million (8.1 million aged 65+)49%American Community Survey[1][4]
England and Wales, 2021Just over 1.85 million53.0%Census 2021[2]
Canada, 2021461,24041.8%Census 2021[5]

These counts are not directly comparable: each country defines a veteran in its own way, and the US figures come from a survey. But in all three countries the veteran population is older and far more male than the population around it. As the US Census Bureau puts it, the demographics of older veterans are in many ways the demographics of older men[4].

Any comparison with other older people therefore has to allow for sex and, in England and Wales, age: 31.8% of veterans there were 80 or over, against 5.1% of people who had not served[6]. Women veterans barely show up in the evidence on later life, and for older veterans outside these countries comparable national data are mostly not published at all.

More older veterans live with a disability, though part of the gap is age and sex

In the US in 2021, 41.9% of veterans aged 65 or older reported at least one disability, against 32.5% of older people who had never served; 21.5% reported two or more, against 18.3%[4]. The survey counts difficulty with independent living, self-care and cognitive functioning, and serious difficulty seeing, hearing and walking[4]. These figures are not adjusted for age or sex, so they do not show how much of the gap is due to service.

The census of England and Wales shows why that matters. Before adjustment, 32.1% of veterans were disabled, against 19.6% of non-veterans. Once the Office for National Statistics took account of age, sex and region, the gap narrowed to 32.1% against 30.0%[6]. Among veterans themselves, 11.4% rated their general health as bad or very bad, and the share rose with age[6].

Only 23.2% of older US veterans have a disability formally recognised as caused or made worse by service, fewer than among veterans of all ages (27.8%)[4]. The Census Bureau suggests one reason: the most severely disabled older veterans may already have died, leaving a relatively healthier group[4]. Official records may therefore undercount the effects of service among the oldest.

Older veterans and older people who never served, United States, 2021American Community Survey 2021, people aged 65 and over, veterans versus nonveterans. Has any disability: 41.9% and 32.5%. Has two or more disabilities: 21.5% and 18.3%. Lives alone: 21.7% and 26.4%. At or below the poverty line: 6.9% and 11.0%. Lives in a nursing facility: 1.4% and 2.0%.Veterans 65+Nonveterans 65+0%10%20%30%40%50%Any disability41.9%32.5%Two or more disabilities21.5%18.3%Lives alone21.7%26.4%At or below poverty line6.9%11.0%In a nursing facility1.4%2.0%
Percentages of the civilian population aged 65 and over; survey estimates, not adjusted for age or sex (96% of older veterans are men). Source: US Census Bureau, Aging Veterans: America's Veterans in Later Life (ACS-54), 2023, Tables 3 and 4.

On money, older US veterans are better placed on average. Their median income was $39,320 in 2021, against $25,940 for other older people, and 6.9% lived at or below the poverty line, against 11.0%[4]. Averages hide hardship, though; see our studies of older people who are homeless and older people on low incomes.

Because most are men, older US veterans are more likely than other older people to live with a spouse (64.3% against 52.2%) and less likely to live alone (21.7% against 26.4%)[4]. About 43% had at least one of four signs of isolation the Census Bureau measures, against 46% of older people who never served[1]. Many are carers. In England and Wales, more veterans than non-veterans aged 70 and over gave unpaid care; at ages 85 to 89, 12.8% of veterans did, against 7.2% of non-veterans, or 10.2% after adjustment[6]. See our study of older unpaid carers.

Hearing loss and tinnitus are the commonest marks of service

In the US, tinnitus was the most common service-connected disability among the 6,338,253 veterans receiving disability compensation at the end of fiscal year 2025, recorded for 3,583,295 of them. Hearing loss was sixth, recorded for 1,690,837[3]. Of all compensation recipients, 1,441,559 were aged 75 or over[3].

Among veterans of World War II and the Korean War, hearing loss was the most common service-connected disability, accounting for 26.4% and 28.2% of the disabilities recorded for those eras, with tinnitus second[3]. For Vietnam-era veterans, the largest group of older US veterans, tinnitus and hearing loss came first and second, ahead of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and diabetes[3].

Hearing loss and tinnitus as a share of all service-connected disabilities, by era of service, US, 2025Veterans Benefits Administration, compensation recipients on the rolls at the end of fiscal year 2025. Hearing loss and tinnitus as a percentage of all service-connected disabilities recorded for each period of service. World War II: hearing loss 26.4%, tinnitus 18.9%. Korean Conflict: 28.2% and 23.2%. Vietnam Era: 10.1% and 11.2%.Hearing lossTinnitus0%10%20%30%World War II26.4%18.9%Korean Conflict28.2%23.2%Vietnam Era10.1%11.2%
Share of all service-connected disabilities recorded for veterans of each era (a veteran can have several), not the share of veterans affected. Source: Veterans Benefits Administration, Annual Benefits Report FY2025, Compensation.

Compensation records measure recognised claims, not hearing itself, so they cannot say whether veterans hear worse than others their age. In the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, hearing tests in 1993 to 1995 of 999 veteran and 590 non-veteran men aged 48 to 92 found that hearing worsened with age but did not differ significantly between the groups[7]. Hearing loss is common in later life whether or not people served: WHO estimates that more than 25% of people over 60 worldwide have disabling hearing loss[8].

What the veteran records do show is the scale of need among the oldest. In VA audiometric records for 2005 to 2017, researchers found 137,500 veterans with severe or worse hearing loss in both ears. Their median age at the first such test was 81, and 30.5% also had poor speech recognition, understanding fewer than half of test words[9]. For them, hearing aids alone may not be enough. See also our study of older people with sight or hearing loss.

Trauma and brain injury are linked with dementia, though the evidence is not settled

Much of the research on older veterans concerns dementia. In a study of 181,093 US veterans aged 55 or older in VA care, mostly men with an average age of 68.8, those with a PTSD diagnosis had a seven-year rate of new dementia of 10.6%, against 6.6% for those without[10]. After adjustment for other conditions and demographics, the risk remained higher (hazard ratio 1.77)[10]. A later VA study of 182,879 veterans aged 55 or older found that having been a prisoner of war and having PTSD were each linked with higher dementia risk (hazard ratios 1.61 and 1.52), and the risk was highest for those with both (2.24)[11].

Not every study agrees. In Australia, a 12-year study of 15,612 male Vietnam veterans aged 55 to 65, using Department of Veterans' Affairs records, found no greater dementia risk with PTSD; risk was instead higher among those prescribed antipsychotic medicines (hazard ratio 2.1)[12]. The authors warn that observational findings like these need caution[12]. A systematic review of 24 studies of veterans aged 60 and older found higher dementia risk with PTSD, with hazard ratios from 1.21 to 1.77[13].

Traumatic brain injury shows a clearer gradient. A VA study compared 178,779 veterans who had a brain injury recorded in VA care between 2001 and 2014 with 178,779 matched veterans who had not. 6.1% of those with a brain injury went on to receive a dementia diagnosis, against 2.6% of those without[14]. After adjustment, even a mild injury without loss of consciousness was linked with more than twice the risk of a dementia diagnosis (hazard ratio 2.36), rising to 3.77 for moderate or severe injury[14].

Dementia risk after traumatic brain injury, US veterans, by severity of injuryAdjusted hazard ratios for a dementia diagnosis among US veterans with a traumatic brain injury recorded in Veterans Health Administration care, 2001 to 2014, compared with a matched group without brain injury (hazard ratio 1). Mild without loss of consciousness: 2.36. Mild with loss of consciousness: 2.51. Mild, loss of consciousness unknown: 3.19. Moderate or severe: 3.77.01234No brain injury(comparison)1.00Mild, no loss ofconsciousness2.36Mild, with loss ofconsciousness2.51Mild, consciousnessunknown3.19Moderate or severe3.77
Adjusted hazard ratios from a cohort of 178,779 veterans with a brain injury and 178,779 matched veterans without (mean age about 49.5 at baseline); an association, not proof that injury caused dementia in any individual. Source: Barnes et al., JAMA Neurology, 2018.

These are associations from health records, not proof that PTSD or a head injury causes dementia in any one person, and shared underlying risk factors may explain part of the link. Still, the pattern is consistent enough that the brain injury researchers called for urgent work on preventing and treating brain injury-related dementia in veterans[14]. See also our study of dementia risk factors.

Old trauma can return in later life, including in care homes

For some veterans, trauma is not a closed chapter. A review of post-traumatic distress that first appears in older age, linked to much earlier events, found the best evidence came from a handful of studies of male war veterans; it concluded the phenomenon exists but has rarely been studied systematically[15]. PTSD in older veterans seldom comes alone: across studies of veterans aged 60 and older with PTSD, depression affected 33% to 52.3%, and generalised anxiety disorder 14% to 15%[13].

Care settings are where this can surface. Among 57,414 veterans aged 60 and over admitted to VA nursing homes (Community Living Centers) between 2018 and 2022, 19.1% had a PTSD diagnosis[16]. Those newly diagnosed then were more likely to be older and rural, and the researchers concluded that the findings support trauma-informed care[16].

The VA's annual suicide report, published in September 2026 with death certificate data to 2024, shows a suicide rate among US veterans aged 75 and older of 35.8 per 100,000 in 2024. That was lower than among veterans aged 18 to 34 (45.5) but higher than at 55 to 74 (32.7), and it rose by 5.4% from 2023 while rates for younger age groups fell[17]. Yet in every year from 2001 to 2024, male veterans aged 75 and older had lower suicide rates than men of the same age who had not served[17]. Older men in general have high suicide rates in many countries (see our study of older men). Suicide is preventable, and support works at every age.

If you need support right now In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans are free to call on 116 123, day or night. Outside the UK and Ireland, findahelpline.com lists free, confidential helplines by country. In the US, veterans and those who care about them can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by calling 988 and selecting 1. If a life is at immediate risk, call 999 (or your local emergency number).

What the evidence asks of us

The figures point to a few clear priorities for health and care services, governments and the organisations that support veterans.

  • Make service visible in general health and care. Many older veterans are cared for mainly in ordinary services, not veterans' systems. In the US, more than half of veterans aged 65 or older (51.3%) have neither VA health care nor military health cover, and 41.2% are enrolled for VA care[4]. General services need to ask about military service and know what it can mean for hearing, mental health and memory.
  • Treat hearing care as core care for older veterans. Hearing loss and tinnitus are the commonest recognised effects of service[3]. Among veterans with severe loss in both ears, nearly a third also struggle to understand speech[9]. These veterans need access to specialist hearing care, not only basic hearing aids.
  • Build trauma-informed care into nursing homes and home care. About one in five veterans admitted to VA nursing homes had a PTSD diagnosis, and new diagnoses were more likely among older and rural veterans[16]. Staff training and care plans that reflect a person's history should be standard.
  • Take brain injury and trauma seriously in dementia services. Veterans with PTSD or a past brain injury have consistently higher rates of dementia diagnosis in US records[10][14]. Memory services should record these histories, and funders should back research on prevention and treatment[14]. Prescribing needs care too: in Australia, antipsychotic use, not PTSD itself, was linked with higher dementia risk[12].
  • Count the veterans who are missing from the data. Women veterans, veterans outside a few high-income countries, and later-life trauma beyond male war veterans are barely studied[15]. Censuses that ask about military service, as those of England and Wales and of Canada did in 2021, make it possible to see older veterans and plan for them[2][5].
  • Keep suicide prevention open to the oldest. The rise in suicide among US veterans aged 75 and over between 2023 and 2024, though a single-year change that may not persist, is a reminder that prevention cannot stop at working age[17].

Language: this piece says "older people" rather than "the elderly", and uses "veterans" for people who have served in the armed forces, as armed forces and veterans' organisations generally do. Each country defines a veteran in its own way, and we follow each source's definition.

Why we're publishing this

Older veterans are often seen as either heroes or a problem. The data show neither: a large group of older people, mostly men, many doing well, some carrying lasting harm from service, and many relying on the same health and care services as everyone else. We publish this so armed forces and veterans' organisations, and the services they work with, have the figures in one place, with sources.

How to read this data

The sources differ and are not directly comparable. Census and survey data are self-reported, and each country defines a veteran in its own way. Veteran and non-veteran comparisons are unadjusted unless we say otherwise; because veterans are mostly men, adjusted figures such as the ONS's give a fairer picture. US compensation counts measure recognised claims, not how common a condition is. The dementia studies are observational analyses of health records reporting hazard ratios: associations, not proof of cause in any individual, and mostly of veterans in VA care. US suicide rates are age-group rates from death certificates. Evidence is thinnest for women veterans, for veterans outside North America, the UK and Australia, and for the oldest old.

Use this data

Free to cite with attribution to Understanding Aging. Charities, carers' groups, campaigners and journalists are welcome to reuse these figures and charts. For the underlying figures as a spreadsheet, get in touch.

Suggested citation: Understanding Aging (2026). Older Veterans: Hearing Loss, Trauma and Dementia Decades After Service. https://understandingaging.org/research/older-veterans

Important: This article summarises published research and statistics for general information. It is not medical, care or financial advice and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or predict anything about an individual. If you have concerns about your own or someone else's memory or health, please speak to a GP or another qualified health professional.

Sources

  1. US Census Bureau. Census Bureau Releases New Report on Aging Veterans (press release). US Census Bureau, 2023. census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/aging-veterans.html
  2. Office for National Statistics. Characteristics of UK armed forces veterans, England and Wales: Census 2021. ONS, 2023. ons.gov.uk/…/characteristicsofukarmedforcesveteransenglandandwalescensus2021/census2021
  3. Veterans Benefits Administration. Annual Benefits Report, Fiscal Year 2025: Compensation. US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2026. benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/abr/docs/2025-compensation.pdf
  4. US Census Bureau. Aging Veterans: America's Veterans in Later Life (ACS-54). American Community Survey Reports, 2023. census.gov/…/2023/acs/acs-54.pdf
  5. Statistics Canada. On guard for thee: serving in the Canadian Armed Forces (The Daily). Statistics Canada, 2022. www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220713/dq220713c-eng.htm
  6. Office for National Statistics. UK armed forces veterans, health and unpaid care, England and Wales: Census 2021. ONS, 2023. ons.gov.uk/…/ukarmedforcesveteranshealthandunpaidcareenglandandwales/latest
  7. Wilson RH, Noe CM, Cruickshanks KJ, Wiley TL, Nondahl DM. Prevalence and degree of hearing loss among males in Beaver Dam cohort: comparison of veterans and nonveterans. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 2010. europepmc.org/article/MED/20848364
  8. World Health Organization. Deafness and hearing loss (fact sheet). WHO, 2026. who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss
  9. Friedmann DR, Nicholson A, O'Brien-Russo C, Sherman S, Chodosh J. Prevalence and characteristics of veterans with severe hearing loss: a descriptive study. Trends in Hearing, 2024. europepmc.org/article/MED/39113646
  10. Yaffe K, Vittinghoff E, Lindquist K, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder and risk of dementia among US veterans. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2010. europepmc.org/article/MED/20530010
  11. Meziab O, Kirby KA, Williams B, Yaffe K, Byers AL, Barnes DE. Prisoner of war status, posttraumatic stress disorder, and dementia in older veterans. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2014. europepmc.org/article/MED/24924674
  12. Roughead EE, Pratt NL, Kalisch Ellett LM, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder, antipsychotic use and risk of dementia in veterans. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2017. europepmc.org/article/MED/28306156
  13. Kang B, Xu H, McConnell ES. Neurocognitive and psychiatric comorbidities of posttraumatic stress disorder among older veterans: a systematic review. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2019. europepmc.org/article/MED/30588665
  14. Barnes DE, Byers AL, Gardner RC, Seal KH, Boscardin WJ, Yaffe K. Association of mild traumatic brain injury with and without loss of consciousness with dementia in US military veterans. JAMA Neurology, 2018. europepmc.org/article/MED/29801145
  15. Hiskey S, Luckie M, Davies S, Brewin CR. The emergence of posttraumatic distress in later life: a review. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 2008. europepmc.org/article/MED/19017780
  16. O'Malley K, Moye J, Leng J, Burningham Z. Posttraumatic stress disorder in older veterans admitted to VA Community Living Centers: prevalence and risk correlates. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2025. europepmc.org/article/MED/39174439
  17. US Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Suicide Prevention. 2026 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2026. mentalhealth.va.gov/…/CMR_2026_National_Veteran_Suicide_Prevention_Annual_Report.pdf