scholarly journals Effects of a Hearing Aid on Speech Perception and Quality of Life of the Elderly with Hearing Loss

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-308
Author(s):  
Mee Hye Park ◽  
Ju Hong Park
Author(s):  
Marinda Uys ◽  
Lidia Pottas ◽  
Bart Vinck ◽  
Catherine Van Dijk

Objective: To date, the main direction in frequency-lowering hearing aid studies has been in relation to speech perception abilities. With improvements in hearing aid technology, interest in musical perception as a dimension that could improve hearing aid users’ quality of life has grown. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of non-linear frequency compression (NFC) on hearing aid users’ subjective impressions of listening to music. Design & sample: A survey research design was implemented to elicit participants’ (N=40) subjective impressions of musical stimuli with and without NFC. Results: The use of NFC significantly improved hearing aid users’ perception of the musical qualities of overall fidelity, tinniness and reverberance. Although participants preferred to listen to the loudness, fullness, crispness, naturalness and pleasantness of music with the use of NFC, these benefits were not significant. Conclusion: The use of NFC can increase hearing aid users’ enjoyment and appreciation of music. Given that a relatively large percentage of hearing aid users express a loss of enjoyment of music, audiologists should not ignore the possible benefits of NFC, especially if one takes into account that previous research indicates speech perception benefits with this technology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Sarant ◽  
David Harris ◽  
Peter Busby ◽  
Paul Maruff ◽  
Adrian Schembri ◽  
...  

Hearing loss is a modifiable risk factor for dementia in older adults. Whether hearing aid use can delay the onset of cognitive decline is unknown. Participants in this study (aged 62–82 years) were assessed before and 18 months after hearing aid fitting on hearing, cognitive function, speech perception, quality of life, physical activity, loneliness, isolation, mood, and medical health. At baseline, multiple linear regression showed hearing loss and age predicted significantly poorer executive function performance, while tertiary education predicted significantly higher executive function and visual learning performance. At 18 months after hearing aid fitting, speech perception in quiet, self-reported listening disability and quality of life had significantly improved. Group mean scores across the cognitive test battery showed no significant decline, and executive function significantly improved. Reliable Change Index scores also showed either clinically significant improvement or stability in executive function for 97.3% of participants, and for females for working memory, visual attention and visual learning. Relative stability and clinically and statistically significant improvement in cognition were seen in this participant group after 18 months of hearing aid use, suggesting that treatment of hearing loss with hearing aids may delay cognitive decline. Given the small sample size, further follow up is required.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (05) ◽  
pp. 01-03
Author(s):  
Filomena da Ponte

Aging, consensually assumed as a process that affects and alters significantly the cognitive and behavioral functions of the human being , encompassing multiple effects on a number of clinically significant variables , the most important being those that directly relate to the movement, ability to balance the effectiveness of mental functioning and sensory functions such as taste, smell , sight and hearing . Hearing loss in the elderly, scientifically called presbiacustia emerges quietly and is increased progressively with advancing age. This study had as its aim to contribute to the achievement of the best quality of life for elderly individuals with hearing loss (presbycusis). Thus, the objectives targeted were: trying to understand the motivations of the elderly to the use of hearing aids; determine the degree of satisfaction of users of these prostheses; evaluate how Preabycusis affects the quality of life of the elderly. The method used was qualitative oriented once interviewed the elderly users of the home. The sample was composed of 110 participants, with presbycusis, 69 female and 41 male (institutionalized seniors).


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatima Zafar ◽  
Hafiz Muhammad Usama Basheer ◽  
Amber Hassan ◽  
Wajeeha Zaib ◽  
Tehmeena Waheed

The regular use of hearing aids (more than 8 hours a day) benefits people in hearing for bettercommunication than those who are less-likely to use hearing aids Objective: The objective of thestudy was to assess the impact of hearing aids on the quality of life of hearing impaired individualsMethods: In this cross-sectional study total 50 participants were recruited by convenient samplingtechnique from Lahore, Pakistan. 50 patients who were diagnosed with hearing loss and wererecommended with hearing aids of both genders were included in the study. The International OutcomeInventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA), questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzedthrough Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 Results: In this research 50hearing impaired individuals who were hearing aid users, participated. The mean age of participants was64.10+15.88 years. Among which 25 (50%) were males and 25(50%) were females. The average time ofhearing aid use was 3.88 hours, majority of patients responded that hearing aid helped quite a lot in thedaily routine (mean score of IOI-HA, 3.62), have moderate difficulty in residual activity (mean score of IOIHA,3.26), moderately satisfied with their hearing aid (mean score of IOI-HA, 3.28), moderately affect theparticipation restriction (mean score of IOI-HA, 3.20), impact of their hearing loss bothered moderately(mean score of IOI-HA, 3.14) and quality of life (QOL) was very much better (3.90). There was insignificantassociation between the QOL of males and females (p-value>0.05) Conclusions: It was concluded fromthe study that the hearing aids have a greater impact on the quality of life and socio-economic aspectsof hearing impaired individuals. Hearing loss is such a problem, which separates certain community ofhearing impaired individuals from the normal population. Individuals with hearing impairment not onlyhave to face personal communication problems but also it affects their health, independency and qualityof life in their daily routine.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 259-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret T. Dillon ◽  
Emily Buss ◽  
Meredith A. Rooth ◽  
English R. King ◽  
Ellen J. Deres ◽  
...  

Objective: Patients with moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss in 1 ear and normal hearing in the contralateral ear, known as unilateral hearing loss (UHL) or single-sided deafness (SSD), may experience improved quality of life with the use of a cochlear implant (CI) in the affected ear. Quality of life assessment before and after implantation may reveal changes to aspects of hearing beyond those explicitly evaluated with behavioral measures. Methods: The present report completed 2 experiments investigating quality of life outcomes in CI recipients with UHL. The first experiment assessed quality of life during the 1st year of device use with 3 questionnaires: the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ), the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB), and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. Twenty subjects were evaluated preoperatively and 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-activation. Quality of life results were compared over the study period using traditional scoring methods and the SSQ pragmatic subscales. Subscales specific to localization and speech perception in noise were compared to behavioral measures at the preoperative and 12-month intervals. The 2nd experiment evaluated quality of life preoperatively and at the 12-month interval for CI recipients with UHL and CI recipients with bilateral hearing loss, including conventional CI users and those listening with electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS). The 3 cohorts differed in CI candidacy criteria, including the amount of residual hearing in the contralateral ear. Results: For subjects with moderate-to-profound UHL, receipt of a CI significantly improved quality of life, with benefits noted as early as 1 month after initial activation. The UHL cohort reported less perceived difficulty at the pre- and postoperative intervals than the conventional CI and EAS cohorts, which may be due to the presence of the normal-hearing ear. Each group experienced a significant benefit in quality of life on the APHAB with CI use. Conclusions: Cochlear implantation in cases of substantial UHL may offer significant improvements in quality of life. Quality of life measures revealed a reduction in perceived tinnitus severity and subjective improvements in speech perception in noise, spatial hearing, and listening effort. While self-report of difficulties were lower for the UHL cohort than the conventional CI and EAS cohorts, subjects in all 3 groups reported an improvement in quality of life with CI use.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Kateifidis ◽  
Pavlos Sarafis ◽  
Maria Malliarou ◽  
Andreas Tsounis ◽  
Panagiotis Bamidis ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Hearing loss is a very common condition, especially among the elderly. A large number of people that have disabling hearing loss may benefit from hearing aids.AIM: The purpose of this study was to measure quality of life and satisfaction among patients who use hearing aids.METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which 100 patients who came in contact with an audiology center in Athens took part. Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile (GHABP) and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) were used. Alongside with the questionnaires, demographic and relevant to their hearing aid information were collected. Student's t-test, Pearson correlation and Linear regression analysis with the sequential process of integration/abstraction to find independent factors associated with the various scales that generated dependency coefficients (b) and their standard errors (SE), were used.RESULTS: Patient's perception of disability affects use of hearing aid and patients' satisfaction. More specifically patients who used hearing aid more and perceived its benefits showed higher scores in the physical health of SF-12. Age was found to correlate statistically with patients' satisfaction from the hearing aid and decreases as age increases. Also greater subjective perception of disability caused by hearing loss means increased usage of a hearing aid and life satisfaction.CONCLUSION: Using a hearing aid improves physical aspects of quality of life of patients with hearing loss. The total duration of wearing a hearing aid and the degree of hearing loss play an important role in the use made by the patient.


2008 ◽  
Vol 139 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. P57-P58
Author(s):  
Alexandros Georgolios ◽  
Kelley Melissa Dodson ◽  
Cristina Baldassari ◽  
Patrick G Maiberger ◽  
Aristides Sismanis

Objective To assess audiologic performance and quality of life in geriatric cochlear implantation patients and to determine whether comorbid medical conditions, etiology, and duration of hearing loss impact audiologic and quality of life outcomes. Methods Geriatric patients who underwent cochlear implantation between 1990 and 2006 were evaluated. Inclusion criteria were 55 years of age or older at time of implantation and post-lingual hearing loss. Patients with primary language other than English were excluded. 49 cochlear implant recipients were identified. A group of younger implanted patients was used as a control. All patients completed standardized audiologic tests including the Hearing In Noise Test. Validated surveys, including the Glasgow Benefit Inventory and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly, were used to assess quality of life. Results The mean age at implantation was 69.5 (range 58–85) and the average time interval from the implantation to the completion of the surveys was 73.2 months (6 to 229). Identified comorbid conditions included hypertension, diabetes, and malignancies, among others. Audiologic performance and quality of life scores between the two groups were similar. In the geriatric group there was no difference in patient satisfaction between subgroups with 0–1, 2–3 or > 3 comorbid conditions. Conclusions Our results suggest that the audiologic performance and quality of life scores between the older and younger age groups are similar. In the geriatric group associated comorbidities did not interfere with patient satisfaction as assessed by survey instruments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (06) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Vinicius Lessa de Souza

Geriatrics help prevent and promote actions that help to minimize the impacts on the quality of life of the elderly. Being the nurse together with a multidisciplinary team, of vital importance in the development of these actions, The Nurse seeks to adapt the reality and the environment to which the elderly person is, thus enabling a better quality of life in this environment. The audiologist audiologist aims at a concern in hearing health, seeking to assist in the prevention and promotion of actions that help patients to have a more effective social interaction and avoid isolation in the face of difficulties that they may present. In short, the natural aging process causes damage to various functions of the human body, and one of them is auditory. The presence of hearing loss has several negative consequences for the quality of life of individuals, especially social isolation and in these cases hearing aids end up being strong allies to minimize the impacts that hearing loss causes on people's lives. Thus, this work aims to relate the issue of social isolation caused by hearing loss, increased risk of depression in the selection process and adaptation of hearing aids for the elderly and the role of the geriatric nurse aiming at improving the quality of life and preventing problems that may arise. In this study, a bibliographic search was made in the databases and an interface between two areas of health: Nursing and Speech Therapy, and its search to improve the quality of life of the elderly population as a social being.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document