Hearing-impaired Population Research Articles

A Study on Agility of School Children in India with Different Degree of Hearing Loss

Physical/motor fitness level of the hearing-impaired population have already attempted in previous studies where degree of hearing-loss of the subjects were not considered so far. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare agility among children with different degree hearing-loss in India. Total of two-hundred-fifty-two (N=252, Boy=126 & Girls=126) hearing-impaired children (aged 13-20 years) were selected as subjects. Degree of Hearing-loss was measured by audiometric technique and divided into six different groups’ viz. Profound, Severe, Moderately-Severe, Moderate, Mild and Normal with twenty one subjects in each group for each sex. Agility was measured through 4×10 meter shuttle run test. 2-way-ANOVA followed by Tukey's test was used as necessary statistics. The significance was tested at p <.05 level. In agility, boys ware significantly better than the girls in all respect, when different hearing impaired groups were combined. Significant differences in agility among the different hearing impaired groups were observed except in few cases when both sexes were combined. No significant interaction between Sex and degree of hearing loss were observed. An increasing linear trend in agility was observed with decreasing degree of hearing Loss. Thus, an inverse relationship between agility and degree of hearing loss (dB HL) is observed.

Dementia in a Hearing-impaired Population According to Hearing Aid Use: A Nationwide Population-based Study in Korea.

Background:Hearing loss is considered a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia. However, the effect of use of a hearing aid on the development of dementia has not been clearly established. We aimed to assess the incidence of dementia in hearing-impaired individuals according to hearing aid use in a nationwide population-based cohort study with matched controls.Methods:This was a retrospective, longitudinal, cohort study of South Korean national claims data for individuals newly registered with hearing disabilities (better ear ≥40 dBHL with worse ear ≥80 dBHL, or better ear ≥60 dBHL) between 2004 and 2008. The hearing aid cohort comprised individuals who received hearing aid subsidies from the National Health Insurance within a year from disability registration. The comparison cohort comprised individuals without a record of a hearing aid claim during the study period after 1:1 matching for audiologic and sociodemographic factors with the hearing aid cohort. The occurrence of dementia was followed up until 2018.Results:Each cohort comprised 8780 individuals. Overall incidence of dementia in the hearing aid and comparison cohorts were 156.0 and 184.5 per 10,000 person-years, respectively (incidence rate ratio = 0.85, 95% confidence interval 0.79–0.91). In a multivariable analysis of the whole study populations, hearing aid use (hazard ratio = 0.75, 95% confidence interval 0.70–0.81) attenuated the risk of dementia.Conclusions:Dementia incidence in individuals with hearing disabilities was lower in hearing aid users than that in nonusers. Hearing rehabilitation with hearing aids should be encouraged for individuals with hearing loss.

Jose F. Abaño, MD (1940-2021) A Tribute to the Father of Hearing Care in the Philippines

Jose F. Abaño, MD (1940-2021) A Tribute to the Father of Hearing Care in the Philippines

The Impact of Hearing Loss and Hearing Aid Usage on the Visuospatial Abilities of Older Adults in a Cohort of Combined Hearing and Cognitive Impairment.

IntroductionIt has been proposed that hearing loss may result in improved visuospatial abilities. The evidence for this assertion is inconsistent, and limited to studies in congenitally deaf children, despite older adults with age-related hearing loss constituting the vast majority of the hearing impaired population. We assessed visuospatial (visuoconstruction and visuospatial memory) ability in older adult hearing aid users with and without clinically significant cognitive impairment. The primary aim of the study was to determine the effect of hearing loss on visuospatial abilities.MethodSeventy-five adult hearing aid users (HA) aged over 65 were recruited, out of whom 30 had normal cognition (NC-HA), 30 had mild cognitive impairment (MCI-HA), and 15 had dementia (D-HA). The Rey Osterrieth Complex figure test (ROCFT) copy, 3 min recall and 30 min recall tests were performed to evaluate the visuoconstructional and visuospatial memory abilities of the participants.ResultsThere were significant differences between the ROCFT copy, 3 min recall, and 30 min recall among the three cohorts (p < 0.005). Compared with previously published normative data, the NC-HA performed significantly better in the ROCFT copy (p < 0.001), immediate recall (p < 0.001), and delay recall (p = 0.001), while the MCI-HA performed similarly to the expected norms derived from population (p = 0.426, p = 0.611, p = 0.697, respectively), and the D-HA performed below this norm.ConclusionThough visuospatial abilities tend to decline when the global cognitive functioning declines, we found suggestive evidence for positive effects of age-related hearing loss on visuospatial cognitive ability. Participants with mild cognitive impairment and hearing loss, who would have been expected to perform worse than normative data, were in fact performing as well as cognitively healthy subjects without hearing loss. Visuospatial ability could be targeted when providing rehabilitation for the older adults with hearing loss.

Development of a low-resource wearable continuous gesture-to-speech conversion system

Purpose Mild to profound hearing impairment places limits on effective communication and day-to-day interaction. Sign language, being the primary mode of communication for people with hearing loss, lacks communicative efficacy. A wearable assistive device that aims to convert sign language into speech is proposed to facilitate communication between the unimpaired population (untrained in sign language) and the hearing impaired population. However, the wide use of geo-centric sign languages in India has resulted in the lack of standardised sign-language datasets. In the proposed work, a compact, low-resource, motion sensor-based, wireless, single and double hand-gesture recognition module is designed to address this issue. Material and methods The proposed module is designed to perform a two-step process with a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based gesture-to-text conversion and a bilingual text-to-speech synthesis. Multi-threading based parallel processing is implemented to enable simultaneous working of the two systems to reduce the delay. In the proposed continuous-gesture recognition system, non-gesture hand motions are modelled using ergodic HMMs that are trained by concatenating all the states of gesture models, allowing equiprobable transitions. The proposed system is modelled and tested for American Sign Language (ASL) and user-defined gestures. Results The maximum performance of the proposed system in recognising single-handed and double-handed gestures in terms of F1-score is 98.17% and 84.85%, respectively. Further, the proposed system achieves a maximum F1-score of 98% and 83% in recognising isolated and continuous gestures, respectively. Conclusion The gesture-to-speech conversion system is ported on Raspberry Pi making the proposed system wireless, and highly mobile. Implications for rehabilitation The research work proposes to develop a gesture-to-speech conversion system to enable the deaf-mute population in communication. The major implications of the proposed work are: •A light-weight raspberry pi 3B + module hosts the entire hardware andsoftware, and is sufficient to train and test the gesture-to-speech conversion system, thereby ensuring greater mobility. •The proposed system can be customised to recognise user-defined gestures with just 5 examples of the new gesture. •The proposed system can be expanded to control home appliances (IoT applications) by combining the output of the proposed gesture recognition system with appropriate control interfaces.

Oral Health Status of Hearing-Impaired Students Attending Special Need Schools in Amhara Region, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundOral health care is the most common unmet need among individuals with a disability. Individuals with a disability may have compromised oral health needs due to neglect from parents, socioeconomic problems, and communication barriers. In Ethiopia, there is a lack of data on oral health status of the hearing-impaired population. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the oral health status of hearing-impaired students in the Amhara region, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2020 to April 2021 on hearing-impaired students in Amhara region, Ethiopia. Data were collected using a pretested interview administered questionnaire and clinical examination. Oral cavity was evaluated using the simplified oral hygiene index, decayed, missed and filled teeth, and community periodontal index. Data analysis was done using SPSS 26.0, and logistic regression analysis was done to identify the risk factors of dental caries and periodontal disease.ResultsA total of 149 hearing impaired students with an age range of 7–30 years were involved in the study. The prevalence of periodontal disease and dental caries was 22.8% (95% CI: 16.8, 30.4) and 38.9% (95% CI; 32.2, 46.9), respectively. Being grade 1–4 student (AOR = 3.94, 95%: 1.16, 13.38), lack of formal education (AOR = 4.98, 95% CI: 1.00, 24.65), dental caries (AOR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.08, 5.08) and bleeding on probing (AOR = 9.98, 95% CI: 3.69, 26.64) were statistically significant with periodontal disease. Grade level, parents’ support during brushing, oral health status, and medication intake were independent factors for dental caries.ConclusionIn the present study, a significant number of hearing-impaired students had periodontal disease and dental caries. School oral health programs and caregivers assisted oral hygiene practices are essential to combat oral health problems in hearing-impaired students. Moreover, a nationwide prospective study with a large sample size will be required to reflect the oral health status of hearing-impaired individuals in the country.

Arabic Version of short form of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ12).

Objectives:To translate and validate the short form of the speech, spatial, and qualities of hearing scale (SSQ12). This will help in the assessment of hearing disability in the daily life of hearing-impaired populations, as well as the improvement of their quality of life.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted at the King Abdullah Ear Specialist Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between April and June 2021. The study included 102 hearing-impaired participants as the patient group and 84 normal-hearing participants as the control group. The English SSQ12 was translated according to the International Quality of Life Assessment method. Internal consistency and reliability of the Arabic SSQ12 were then assessed using Cronbach’s alpha (α) and test-retest reliability. Discriminant validity was also assessed by comparing the patients’ scores with the control participants.Results:The overall internal consistency of the Arabic SSQ12 was excellent (α=0.9), with good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.8). There was a significant difference between the Arabic SSQ12 scores of the patient and control groups (p<0.0001).Conclusion:The Arabic version of the SSQ12 appears to be a valid and reliable tool that can be used to assess the communication ability of hearing-impaired patients in audiology clinics.

Assessment of Quality of Life in Adults with Hearing Impairment

Background: Hearing loss (HL) in adults is loss of ability to perceive surrounding environmental sounds. There may be environmental or genetic cause of this disability. Presently expectancy of old adult age is going to increase as in the same way hearing problems and its negative impact on health wellbeing standard of living also increased, the beneficial of current study is to be addressed, or give awareness about health consequences to adult population with hearing impairment.&#x0D; Aim: To determine the quality of life in adults with hearing impairment.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Riphah international University, Lahore campus between December 2018 to May 2019.&#x0D; Methodology: A cross sectional survey was conducted on 67 adults with hearing impairment (sample size was calculated on the base of prevalence of hearing loss in the Express Tribute, (March 4, 2014) which was a Pakistani study on hearing impaired population the president of famous organization the developmental diseases and community of auditory handicap MR Afzal estimated the occurrence of auditory deficits in Pakistan region was in between 7 to 8 percent on per 10,000 living birth ,this prevalence was used to calculate sample size by using online calculator).(1), their age range were 18 to 55 (elder adults) and 56 to 97(older adults). Data collection tool which was used in this research was 15D Quality of life questionnaire to find out the influence of hearing loss (HL) on daily living activities in adult’s life. Sampling technique used in this research was convenient sampling. For this purpose, descriptive analysis was done for demographics and chi square was used for inferential analysis by using SPSS20. Endnote was used for references.&#x0D; Results: There are four domains of quality of life (speech, usual activities, mental functioning, and vitality status of participants) which have highly significant relationship value(&lt;0.001) with hearing impairment, in other domains of quality of life p value is less then (&lt;0.05) this means that other domains of quality of life have also significant relationship with hearing impairment except visual or sexual activity of the participants which have no significant association p- value(&gt;0.05)with hearing impairment.&#x0D; Conclusion: Research concluded that domains of quality of life are significantly associated with hearing loss which have negative impact on the QOL(quality of life) except visual or sexual activity, but these two domains may also indirectly have associated or may affect the quality of life individually in adults with hearing impairment.

Effects of Wireless Remote Microphone on Speech Recognition in Noise for Hearing Aid Users in China.

Objective: This study was aimed at evaluating improvements in speech-in-noise recognition ability as measured by signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with the use of wireless remote microphone technology. These microphones transmit digital signals via radio frequency directly to hearing aids and may be a valuable assistive listening device for the hearing-impaired population of Mandarin speakers in China.Methods: Twenty-three adults (aged 19–80 years old) and fourteen children (aged 8–17 years old) with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss were recruited. The Mandarin Hearing in Noise Test was used to test speech recognition ability in adult subjects, and the Mandarin Hearing in Noise Test for Children was used for children. The subjects’ perceived SNR was measured using sentence recognition ability at three different listening distances of 1.5, 3, and 6 m. At each distance, SNR was obtained under three device settings: hearing aid microphone alone, wireless remote microphone alone, and hearing aid microphone and wireless remote microphone simultaneously.Results: At each test distance, for both adult and pediatric groups, speech-in-noise recognition thresholds were significantly lower with the use of the wireless remote microphone in comparison with the hearing aid microphones alone (P < 0.05), indicating better SNR performance with the wireless remote microphone. Moreover, when the wireless remote microphone was used, test distance had no effect on speech-in-noise recognition for either adults or children.Conclusion: Wireless remote microphone technology can significantly improve speech recognition performance in challenging listening environments for Mandarin speaking hearing aid users in China.

Unmasking the Difficulty of Listening to Talkers With Masks: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interactions with talkers wearing face masks have become part of our daily routine since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using an on-line experiment resembling a video conference, we examined the impact of face masks on speech comprehension. Typical-hearing listeners performed a speech-in-noise task while seeing talkers with visible lips, talkers wearing a surgical mask, or just the name of the talker displayed on screen. The target voice was masked by concurrent distracting talkers. We measured performance, confidence and listening effort scores, as well as meta-cognitive monitoring (the ability to adapt self-judgments to actual performance). Hiding the talkers behind a screen or concealing their lips via a face mask led to lower performance, lower confidence scores, and increased perceived effort. Moreover, meta-cognitive monitoring was worse when listening in these conditions compared with listening to an unmasked talker. These findings have implications on everyday communication for typical-hearing individuals and for hearing-impaired populations.

Molecular alteration in the Gap Junction Beta 2 (GJB2) gene associated with non-syndromic sensorineural hearing impairment.

Non-syndromic sensory neural hearing defect is one of the genetic diseases inherited from parents to offerings. The autosomal recessive form affects a large population worldwide and has become a major concern in the social and professional lives of many people. There are many factors and genes which are involved in hearing loss but the Gap Junction Beta 2 (GJB2) gene which encodes the connexin 26 protein, is a major cause of non-syndromic recessive deafness (NSRD). This study aims to record and analyze GJB2 gene mutations in the hearing-impaired population of North Karnataka, India. In this study, we included 368 congenitally hearing-impaired children from North Karnataka, India, under 18 years of age. After thorough clinical examinations, patient's history and proper audiological results, peripheral blood samples were collected and subjected to genetic analysis. We recorded that 54.8% of the NSRD cases have an autosomal recessive mutation in the coding region of the GJB2 gene. The frequency of W24X (25%) mutation was found to be high in the present study population. From this study we can suggest that, identifying this mutation in new-borns definitely helps in the early diagnosis of hearing loss.

Evaluation of the efficacy of hearing aids in older adults: a multiparametric longitudinal study protocol

BackgroundPrevalence of hearing loss increases with age. Its estimated prevalence is 40–50 % in people over 75 years of age. Recent studies agree that declinein hearing threshold contribute to deterioration in sociality, sensitivity, cognition, and quality of life for elderly subjects.The aim of the study presented in this paper is to verify whether or not rehabilitation using first time applied Hearing Aids (HA) in a cohort of old people with hearing impairment improves both speech perception in a noisy environment over time and the overall health-related quality of life.MethodsThe monocentric, prospective, repeated measurements, single-subject, clinical observational study is to recruit 100 older adults, first-time HA recipients (≥ 65 years).The evaluation protocol is designed to analyze changes in specific measurement tools a year after the first HA usage in comparison with the evaluation before HA fitting.Evaluations will consist of multiparametric details collected through self-report questionnaires completed by the recipients and a series of commonly used audiometric measures and geriatric assessment tools. The primary indicator of changes in speech perception in noise to be used is the Italian version of Oldenburg Satz (OLSA) test whereas the indicator of changes in overall quality of life will be the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) and Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) questionnaires. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) will help in screening the cognitive state of the subjects.DiscussionThe protocol is designed to make use of measurement tools that have already been applied to the hearing-impaired population in order to compare the effects of HA rehabilitation in the older adults immediately before first HA usage (Pre) and after 1 year of experience (Post). This broad approach will lead to a greater understanding of how useful hearing influences the quality of life in older individuals, and therefore improves potentials for healthy aging. The data is to be analyzed by using an intrasubject endpoint comparison. Outcomes will be described and analyzed in detail.Trial registrationThis research was retrospectively registered underno. NCT04333043at ClinicalTrials.gov (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/) on the 26 March 2020. This research has been registered with the Ethics Committee of the Area Vasta Emilia Nord under number 104, date of approval 17/07/2017.

SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Impact Assessment for Hearing Impaired Patients

COVID-19 is a systemic infectious disease caused by the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused social, economic, political, and cultural repercussions for humanity. Although Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) has been recognized since 2002 as a legal means of communication and expression, most individuals with hearing impairment in Brazil do not have access to accurate information about SARS-CoV-2 available to them in Libras. Between July 2020 and November 2020, the impact of COVID-19 on deaf and hearing impaired individuals was assessed through a closed questionnaire, using Libras, via a digital platform. Deaf and hearing impaired individuals over 18 years of age and living in the Metropolitan Region II of Rio de Janeiro were eligible to participate. Frequencies were calculated for categorical variables. From the total questionnaires submitted, 55.5% of respondents claim to have “a lot” of knowledge regarding COVID-19, and 44.4% of those individuals indicated they gained this knowledge through social media. Additionally, the main difficulties encountered by the deaf and hearing impaired population during the pandemic were: communicating with others wearing masks, and poor access to medical care. Thus, for full physical, mental, and social well-being, the state must invest in the inclusion of this population through public health measures.

Self-rated health and hearing disorders: study of the Brazilian hearing-impaired population.

Hearing impairment (HI) is one of the most impacting handicaps related to social life, and 21% have intense limitation compromising daily activities. However, few studies have investigated SRH in HI. This article aims to verify the association between HI and SRH and factors related to hearing characteristics. Cross-sectional study data from National Health Survey (NHS, 2013) conducted with 1,100 hearing impaired adults (≥18 years old). The outcome was SHR, categorized as good or poor. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to calculate Prevalence Ratios. Sociodemographic variables and characteristics of HI, such as congenital or acquired HI, type of HI, wear hearing aids, and limitation were used in adjusted analysis. Poor SRH was more prevalent in acquired HI, limitation of daily activities, sociodemographic characteristics such as aging, female, black or other skin color, and lower schooling. Poor SRH is related to acquired HI, limitation of daily activities and sociodemographic conditions.

Necessidade do aprendizado de língua de sinais para melhor comunicação médico-paciente

Objetivo: Evidenciar e discutir, através de uma revisão de literatura, as principais características da comunicação na relação médico-paciente surdo, bem como suas implicações no atendimento em saúde. Metodologia: Revisão de Literatura Integrativa, cujos artigos foram buscados nas bases de dados SciELO e BVS, entre 2010 e 2020. Seguindo os critérios de inclusão, totalizaram-se 8 estudos selecionados para análise, dos quais 100% (8) foram publicados em periódicos nacionais. Resultados e discussão: Concluiu-se que a comunicação tem sido explorada pelas ciências da saúde na busca de estratégias que fortaleçam as relações entre os profissionais da área e a população com deficiência auditiva assistida por eles. São evidenciadas a importância do ato comunicativo com pacientes deficientes auditivos e, paralelamente aos aspectos assistenciais, a necessidade de os profissionais da saúde se atentarem para os parâmetros envolvidos no ato comunicativo que validam a comunicação não verbal durante as consultas. Conclusão: Foi observado que o tema tem sido explorado pelas ciências na busca de estratégias que fortaleçam a relação médico-paciente deficiente auditivo, porém ainda se encontra de maneira escassa na literatura científica. Persistem, no cenário de assistência à saúde, as fragilidades do modelo oralizado de comunicação e a necessidade de amparar os profissionais da área de saúde com saberes que proporcionem o exercício de práticas comunicativas não verbais, a fim de assegurar uma assistência integrada em saúde para pessoas surdas e com deficiência auditiva.

Adverse events in pediatric cochlear implant patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging

ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence and nature of adverse events in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of pediatric cochlear implant (CI) patients. MethodsRetrospective chart review at a tertiary pediatric hospital. CI patients who underwent MRI from 2004 through 2019 were identified via our internal radiology database. Comorbidities, CI model, age at MRI, number of MRIs, type of MRIs, indication for MRIs, precautions taken for MRIs, quality of MRIs, anesthesia during MRIs, patient language abilities, and adverse events were recorded from the electronic medical record. The literature was reviewed, and our results were compared to those of previous similar series. ResultsFrom 2004 to 2019, 12 pediatric patients (17 ears) with CIs underwent 22 MRIs. 12 MRIs were performed in CI patients with retained internal magnet. 4/22 MRIs resulted in morbidity; 2 patients experienced pain requiring MRI abortion, 1 experienced magnet rotation requiring surgical replacement, and 1 underwent operative removal of the magnet prior to the scan with surgical replacement thereafter. 19/22 MRIs were performed to evaluate the brain; 17/22 of the radiologic reports noted limitation of evaluation due to artifact. 18/22 MRIs required the administration of anesthesia. 9 of the 22 MRI events involved 2 patients whose CIs had been without internal magnet in anticipation of future MRI requirement. ConclusionsAdverse events affecting pediatric patients with CI can occur as a result of MRI, despite appropriate precautions. Safety requires consideration of factors unique to a pediatric hearing-impaired population. Clinicians must remain informed on best practices and manufacturer recommendations.

A novel approach for ISL alphabet recognition using Extreme Learning Machine

Deaf and dumb people use sign language as a tool for communication. As per the 2011 census in India, hearing impaired and speech disabled population is 1,998,692 and 5,072,914 respectively (Disabled persons in India, https://www.mospi.gov.in ). Normal hearing people do not learn sign language and thus there is a big communication gap between them and deaf and dumb people. Sign language interpreters can fill this gap but it is a very costly affair to hire them. Indian Sign Language (ISL) consists of signs which are made with two hands while other sign languages like American Sign Language consists of signs made with single hand. This work proposes an automatic and efficient computer vision based system to recognize ISL alphabet which can assist this communication. It can further be used as a module of complete ISL recognition system. Phases in ISL alphabet recognition are image acquisition, preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction and classification. All 26 ISL alphabet have been considered for testing with average accuracy of 80.76%. Results show that the accuracy of 100% is achieved when similar alphabet {C, L, M, N, R, U,Y} are excluded from testing dataset.

Usher syndrome: diagnostic approach, differential diagnoses and proposal of an updated function-based genetic classification

Abstract Usher syndrome (USH) manifests with congenital and apparently isolated hearing loss, followed by retinal degeneration in later life. Therefore, and because of its high prevalence in the congenitally hearing-impaired population, USH is one of the most relevant deafness syndromes. Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based testing can now provide most analyzed USH patients with a molecular diagnosis, based on mutations in 11 genes. Given the availability of several excellent articles on the clinical and biochemical basis of USH, this short review focuses on critical assessment of new genes announced as USH genes, clinical and genetic differential diagnoses and therapeutic developments. Because obsolete loci, disproved USH genes and the inclusion of genes whose mutations cause similar phenotypes have increasingly blurred genetic classification, a revision based on phenotype restricted to genes related to the Usher protein complex is proposed.

The Spanish 12-item version of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing scale (Sp-SSQ12): adaptation, reliability, and discriminant validity for people with and without hearing loss

Purpose Because of the limited number of Spanish validated questionnaires available to assess auditory functionality in daily life situations in adults, the purpose of this study was to investigate the validity and the reliability of the Spanish version of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing 12 items scale (sp-SSQ12), adapted from the published Spanish SSQ49, and to provide reference data for normal and hearing-impaired populations. Methods The SSQ12 is a self-report questionnaire, consisting of 12 items assessing a range of daily life listening situations. One hundred fifty adults (101 female) with a mean age of 53.9 years (SD 20.3; range 20–88 years) took part in the study. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, validity, and floor and ceiling effects were investigated. Results The sp-SSQ12 questionnaire had high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.95) and test-retest scores were highly correlated (ICC = 0.79). There was minimal evidence of floor and ceiling effects in our sample. Significant differences were observed overall and for the three subscales between normal and hearing-impaired groups. Although some significant differences in SSQ12 scores between groups of participants from different countries, these differences were minimal. Conclusions The sp-SSQ12 questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool that is easy to administer and requires a short time to answer. We recommend the use of this tool for the assessment of functional hearing in the Spanish-speaking population. Implication for rehabilitation Hearing loss impacts people’s lives in a number of ways that are captured in the SSQ. The sp-SSQ12 is a valid and reliable tool for assessing everyday listening abilities and limitations experienced by Spanish-speaking adults with hearing loss. The sp-SSQ12 can be incorporated in the hearing rehabilitation process as a tool for evaluating and improving hearing assessment and rehabilitation programs. The sp-SSQ12 can help to identify adults who require a comprehensive hearing assessment.

Healthy aging in elderly cochlear implant recipients: a multinational observational study

BackgroundGiven an increase in the aging population and its impact on healthcare systems, policy makers for provision of health and social services are aiming to keep older adults in good health for longer, in other words towards ‘healthy aging’. Our study objective is to show that rehabilitation with cochlear implant treatment in the elderly with hearing impairment improves the overall health-related quality of life and general well-being that translate into healthy aging.MethodsThe multicentre, prospective, repeated measures, single-subject, clinical observational study will accrue 100 elderly, first-time, unilateral CI recipients (≥ 60 years) and analyze changes on specific measurement tools over ca. 20 months from preimplant to postimplant. Evaluations will consist of details collected through case history and interview questionnaires by clinicians, data logging, self-report questionnaires completed by the recipients and a series of commonly used audiometric measures and geriatric assessment tools. The primary indicator of changes in overall quality of life will be the HUI-3.DiscussionThe protocol is designed to make use of measurement tools that have already been applied to the hearing-impaired population in order to compare effects of CI rehabilitation in adults immediately before their implantation, (pre-implant) and after gaining 1–1.5 years of experience (post-implant). The broad approach will lead to a greater understanding of how useful hearing impacts the quality of life in elderly individuals, and thus improves potentials for healthy aging. Outcomes will be described and analyzed in detail.Trial registrationThis research has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/), 7 March 2017 under the n° NCT03072862.