Sustained Benefits of Hearing Aids

This study was designed to evaluate long-term benefits of hearing aids in elderly individuals with hearing loss. A primary care cohort of 192 elderly, hearing-impaired veterans (mean age 72 +/- 6, 97% White, 94% retired) were assessed at baseline and at 4, 8, and 12 months after hearing aid fitting....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of speech and hearing research 1992-12, Vol.35 (6), p.1402-1405
Main Authors: Mulrow, Cynthia D, Tuley, Michael R, Aguilar, Christine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Audiometry, Pure-Tone
Auditory Threshold
Benefits
Biological and medical sciences
Communication
Ear, auditive nerve, cochleovestibular tract, facial nerve: diseases, semeiology
Ears & hearing
Female
Hearing Aids
Hearing impaired elderly people
Hearing Loss, Bilateral - diagnosis
Hearing Loss, Bilateral - physiopathology
Hearing Loss, Bilateral - rehabilitation
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Non tumoral diseases
Older people
Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology
Patient Compliance
Quality of Life
Social research
Speech Perception
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Summary:This study was designed to evaluate long-term benefits of hearing aids in elderly individuals with hearing loss. A primary care cohort of 192 elderly, hearing-impaired veterans (mean age 72 +/- 6, 97% White, 94% retired) were assessed at baseline and at 4, 8, and 12 months after hearing aid fitting. Drop-out rates at 4, 8, and 12 months were 5%, 13%, and 16%, respectively. Outcome assessments included several quality-of-life scales: Hearing Handicap Inventory in the Elderly (HHIE), Quantified Denver Scale of Communication Function (QDS), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ). All quality-of-life areas improved significantly from baseline to 4-month post-hearing aid fittings (p < 0.05). Social and emotional (HHIE), communication (QDS), and depression (GDS) benefits were sustained at 8 and 12 months, whereas cognitive changes (SPMSQ) reverted to baseline at 12 months. We conclude that hearing aids provide sustained benefits for at least a year in these elderly individuals with hearing impairment.
ISSN:0022-4685
1092-4388
1558-9102
DOI:10.1044/jshr.3506.1402