Quality of life in older hearing aid users in Hong Kong

Abstract

of dissertation entitled Quality of life in older hearing aid users in Hong Kong Submitted by Fung, Kwan Yee Keri for the degree of Master of Science in Audiology at the University of Hong Kong in May 2010 Hearing impairment frequently happens in older adults. Hearing aid prescription is one of the most common rehabilitation procedures for people with hearing impairment. Through enhancing their ability to hear, there would be positive impact on their social life and the perception of their health. However, the effects of hearing aids usage and that of bilateral hearing aids fitting on the health-related quality of life in Cantonese-speaking older adults in Hong Kong were unknown. The aim of the current study was to address the effects of hearing aid usage on the HRQoL in such population group. Thirty-nine hearing aid users (over 60-year-old) were recruited from a university audiology clinic and two private hearing centres in Hong Kong. The Medical Outcome Survey Short-Form 36 (SF-36) (Chinese Hong Kong version) and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) (screening version) (Chinese) were used to measure the HRQoL of the elderly hearing aid users. The degree of hearing loss was taken into account in data analysis. The results suggested that the Cantonese-speaking hearing aid elderly users scored significantly better in four out of eight subscales of the SF-36 than those Cantonese-speaking non-hearing aid users (p < 0.01). However, the HRQoL of the bilaterally fitted hearing aid users did not differ from that of those who were unilaterally fitted with a hearing aid in any of the subscales on SF-36 or HHIE. Hearing impaired tinnitus sufferers who used hearing aid(s) scored significantly better in four out of eight subscales of the SF-36 (p< 0.01) than that of the participants in Cheng’s study (2008) who did not use hearing aid. In conclusion, hearing aids could do a satisfactory job in improving the HRQoL of Cantonese-speaking older adults. The acoustical benefits of bilateral hearing aid usage over unilateral hearing aid usage may not be important in improving the HRQoL of the population group. Hearing aids could help improve several aspects of HRQoL in tinnitus patients. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future studies were discussed.