A 70-year-old patient tells the nurse that he has noticed that he is having trouble hearing, especially in large groups. He says that he "can't always tell where the sound is coming from" and the words often sound "mixed up." What might the nurse suspect as the cause for this change?

A. Nerve degeneration in the inner ear: This describes presbycusis, a common age-related hearing loss due to degeneration of the cochlea or auditory nerve, often affecting the ability to hear high-frequency sounds and distinguish sounds in noisy environments. B. Cilia becoming coarse and stiff: This contributes to conductive hearing loss but does not typically cause difficulty localizing sounds. C. Scarring of the tympanic membrane: This may result from repeated infections but usually causes conductive hearing loss. D. Atrophy of the apocrine glands: This affects sweat production, not hearing.