Wearing Hearing Aids Research Articles

The Longitudinal Relationship Between Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline

The Longitudinal Relationship Between Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline

Research on Customer Relationship Management Strategy of "Hearing Aid Fitting" Based on Refined Data Analysis

Wearing hearing aids can help hearing impaired patients enter the sound world, so as to improve their quality of life. Hearing aid fitting is highly professional and requires long-term after-sales service. This paper takes 300 impaired patients and 50 hearing aid fitters of Siemens hearing aid fitting Engineer as the research object to analyze the main influencing factors of hearing impaired patients' purchase of hearing aids and the key factors to improve long-term satisfaction. Hearing aid effect, wearing comfort and service quality significantly affect the long-term satisfaction of hearing-impaired patients. Brand, price, refined customer relationship maintenance and technical personification have a positive impact on customer repeat purchase and recommendation.

A Case of Eosinophilic Otitis Media Implanted with Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid

Eosinophilic otitis media (EOM) is characterized by the presence of highly viscous middle ear effusion containing eosinophils, and is usually associated with bronchial asthma. Intratympanic corticosteroid administration and/or systemic steroid administration are effective treatments. However, the middle ear effusion and progressive hearing loss are difficult to control, significantly affecting the patient’s quality of life. Therefore, appropriate care is important not only for controlling the middle ear effusion and otorrhea, but also for preventing the progression of hearing loss.A 46-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with suspected eosinophilic otitis media. She had a history of asthma and aspirin sensitivity. In addition, she had recurrent nasal polyps despite having undergone nasal polypectomy on two occasions. She was diagnosed as having bilateral EOM according to the diagnostic criteria. She was started on steroid treatment, but after showing initial response, the middle ear effusion recurred immediately after withdrawal of steroid treatment. Although the patient also had difficulty in communication because of bilateral hearing loss, she could not wear hearing aids because of the middle ear effusion. Hearing aids sometimes aggravate middle ear infection by blocking aeration, increasing the risk of sensorineural hearing loss. Therefore, we implanted a bone-anchored hearing aid (Baha®) in her right ear. Average hearing threshold of 500, 1000 and 2000 was 35 dB using Baha®. Although audiometry revealed deterioration of the bone-conduction threshold in the right ear at five years after the Baha® implantation, she still had sufficient bone conduction hearing using Baha® because of the preserved bone-conduction in the contralateral ear. The Baha® hearing system is a clinically effective and good hearing rehabilitative device for patients with EOM.

Effectiveness of Auditory Training in Experienced Hearing-Aid Users, and an Exploration of Their Health-Related Quality of Life and Coping Strategies.

Hearing aids (HA) are a fundamental component in restoring auditory function; however, they cannot completely alleviate all problems encountered by adults with hearing impairment. The aim of this study is twofold. Firstly, we assess the health-related quality of life and coping strategies of experienced HA users. Secondly, we assess whether HA users can benefit from auditory training. To this end, 40 participants who had worn HAs for more than 6 months participated in this study. Half of the participants received auditory training, while the other half served as a passive control. The training consisted of a personalized training scheme, with outcome measures including speech in noise perception in free-field and via direct streaming to the HA, phoneme identification, cognitive control, and health-related quality of life. Results showed that experienced HA users reported a relatively good quality of life. Health-related quality of life was correlated with aided speech perception in noise, but not with aided pure tone audiometry. Coping strategies were adaptive, leading to improved communication. Participants showed improvements in trained tasks, consonant identification, and speech in noise perception. While both groups yielded improved speech in noise perception at the end, post hoc analysis following a three-way interaction showed a significantly larger pre-post difference for the trained group in the streaming condition. Although training showed some improvements, the study suggests that the training paradigm was not sufficiently challenging for HA users. To optimize daily life listening, we recommend that future training should incorporate more exercises in noise and focus on cognitive control.

新設補聴器外来における補聴器購入・非購入患者の検討

In the era of the super aging society, with the increasing number of patients with age-related hearing loss, there is a high demand for hearing aids. Furthermore, recent reports of the existence of an association between hearing loss and progression of dementia underscore the importance of fulfilling the needs for hearing aids. Our institute, a core hospital in the aging community, started a specialized outpatient clinic for prescribing hearing aids in 2017. In this study, we analyzed the accumulated clinical data of 178 patients who came to the clinic between October 2017 and December 2020. While a total of 154 patients (87%) were willing to start using hearing aids at the first visit, only 99 patients (55%) finally purchased hearing aids. The patient background characteristics were not significantly different between patients who purchased and did not purchase hearing aids, whereas the motivation for wearing hearing aids and the number of visits required for determining whether hearing aids should be worn or not were significantly higher among patients who finally purchased hearing aids. The top three reasons for not purchasing hearing aids were 1) not feeling the necessity (28%), 2) financial difficulties (22%), and 3) inability to adapt to hearing aids (18%). Although our institute introduced hearing rehabilitation, the proportion of patients who purchased hearing aids was relatively low as compared with previous reports; that could be attributable to the lack of systematic operation of the specialized outpatient clinic, including absence of established criteria to determine the duration of rehabilitation and lack of cooperation with speech therapists. On the other hand, the patient’s motivation and financial support were highly important for successful starting of hearing-aid wearing, considering the reasons for dropout from treatment. Taken together, establishing a protocol for hearing rehabilitation and patient education for hearing loss are important for improving the success rate in hearing aid treatment.

Perception and confusion of speech in Algerian school children wearing hearing aids

Perception and confusion of speech in Algerian school children wearing hearing aids

Auditory Environments and Hearing Aid Feature Activation Among Younger and Older Listeners in an Urban and Rural Area.

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in auditory environments and hearing aid feature activation between younger listeners with normal hearing and older listeners with hearing loss in an urban and rural location. We hypothesized that (1) urban dwellers and younger listeners would encounter more diverse and demanding auditory environments than rural dwellers and older listeners, respectively; (2) the advanced hearing aid features (noise reduction and directional microphone) of urban dwellers and younger listeners would be activated more frequently than rural dwellers and older listeners, respectively. The design of this study was cross-sectional with repeated measures. A total of 12 older adults with hearing loss (OHL-U) and 11 younger adults with normal hearing (YNH-U) were recruited from an urban area (Berkeley, California) and 13 older adults with hearing loss (OHL-R) and 10 YNH-U were recruited from a rural area (Iowa City, Iowa). Participants wore hearing aids that recorded data about their listening environments and completed ecological momentary assessments for 1 week. The YNH-U group experienced higher sound pressure levels and hearing aid features were activated more frequently than in the OHL groups. The OHL-R group experienced significantly less diverse sound pressure levels than the YNH-U group. The YNH-R group had sound levels between the YNH-U group and the OHL groups but without significant differences from any other group. The YNH groups showed a greater likelihood of hearing aid feature activation than the OHL-R group. Demographics affect auditory environments and the activation of hearing aid features. Younger urban dwellers have the most diverse or demanding auditory environments and hearing aid feature activation, and older, rural dwellers with hearing loss have the least diverse or demanding auditory environments and hearing aid feature activation. Future studies of real-world auditory environments and audiology intervention effectiveness should consider location in recruitment and interpretation of results.

Deafness-Infertility Syndrome and Auditory Hallucinations

Deafness-Infertility Syndrome and Auditory Hallucinations

강강술래가 증폭장치 사용 청소년의 청력손실 자가인지에 미치는 영향

Objective: Dance improves artistic perfection by continuously practicing many physical activities. Unfortunately, dynamic physical activity may cause inconvenience to the hearing-impaired adolescents who use amplifiers. The aim of this study is to explore changes in self-awareness of hearing loss adolescents who use an amplifier to learn Ganggangsullae, a traditional Korean folk art. Method: 6-girl(14.7±2.07) participated who wear hearing aids and/or cochlear implants. 2 of them had dance experience, 2 of them have aerobic experience, and the other 2 were inexperienced. Hearing handicap inventory for adult (HHIA) was used to measure the degree of self-awareness of hearing loss. Results: The mean HHIA score before and after Ganggangsullae decreased by 0.0267 from 0.573±0.992 to 0.547±1.034. In social adjustment, it decreased by 0.111 from 0.611±1.042 to 0.5±0.993, and in emotional adjustment, it increased by 0.0513 points from 0.538±0.949 to 0.59±1.074. In case of no experience, social adjustment increased by 0.167, and emotional adjustment by 0.308, respectively. In the case of dance experience, social adjustment increased by 0.083, emotional adjustment decreased by 0.231. In the case of aerobics, social adjustment decreased by 0.586, and emotional adjustment increased by 0.077. Conclusion: Despite many physical activities for artistic perfection, Ganggangsullae maintained HHIA stabilization.

Deaf signers and hearing aids: motivations, access, competency and service effectiveness

Objectives This study concerns culturally Deaf signers in the UK who use hearing aids and (i) explores motivations for hearing aid use (ii) identifies barriers and facilitators to accessing NHS hearing aid services, (iii) examines cultural competency of hearing aid clinics and (iv) identifies factors influencing effective adult hearing aid service provision. Design Online survey in British Sign Language and English that was informed by Deaf service users. Study sample 75 Deaf adult BSL users who wear hearing aids and use NHS hearing aid clinics. Results No specific reason emerged as outstandingly important for hearing aid use; however, assisting with lipreading (57%) and listening to music (52%) were rated as very/extremely important. Access issues reported were contacting clinics, poor communication with staff and lack of Deaf awareness. To be an effective and culturally competent hearing aid clinic for Deaf signers, a good understanding of Deaf culture and language was most rated as important (87%). Conclusion The study is the first that explores hearing aid use and experiences of accessing hearing aid clinics from Deaf signers’ perspectives. Enhancements to clinical practice are required to consider culturally Deaf people’s motivations for hearing aid use and make services more BSL-friendly.

Eye-Movement Deficits in Seniors with Hearing Aids: Cognitive and Multisensory Implications.

In recent years, there has been a growing body of literature highlighting the relationship between presbycusis and consequences in areas other than hearing. In particular, presbycusis is linked to depression, dementia, and cognitive decline. Among this literature, the effect of hearing aids, currently the most common method of treating presbycusis, is also a growing research topic. This pilot study aims to explore the effects of hearing aids on the cognitive and multisensory consequences of presbycusis. To that purpose, saccades and vergences eye movements were studied, towards visual and audiovisual targets, of a presbycusis population wearing hearing aids for an average of two years. These measurements were done whether or not participants were wearing their hearing aids. Eye-movement characteristics, particularly latencies (the reaction time taken to initiate an eye movement), allows one to measure attentional and multisensory characteristics. Previous studies showed that presbycusis was linked with an increase of saccade latencies and an improvement in audiovisual interaction capacities, i.e., latencies for audiovisual targets are shorter than those for visual targets. Eye movements are measured and analyzed with REMOBI and AIDEAL technologies. Results show a shortening, with hearing aids, of right saccade latencies to visual targets, suggesting an increase in attention and/or engagement. Yet, saccade latencies are not shorter for audiovisual vs. visual targets alone, neither when wearing hearing aids, nor without. Moreover, convergence latencies are particularly slow for any type of target and with or without hearing aids. The results suggest deficits for audiovisual interactions and the initiation of convergences in that population. These deficits could be part of the factors triggering the need to wear hearing aids. These results therefore show interesting relationships between hearing-aid wearing in a presbycusis population and oculomotricity and invite further research in this area.

Individual factors that impact noise tolerance

One of the most common complaints of patients wearing hearing aids is difficulty hearing speech in noise. Limited information is available on how to program speech in noise programs as fitting formulas are based on quiet environments. In order to understand what settings could optimize programs in background noise, it is important to determine what objective and subjective factors impact speech understanding in noise. This study sought to evaluate what individual factors (personality, working memory, noise tolerance, and speech in noise abilities) might impact person’s tolerance in background noise. Data was collected remotely using questionnaires and equipment that was dropped off at the participant's home due to covid restrictions at the time. A principal component analysis was used to determine clusters of patients based on the examined factors. The goal of finding group factors will be used to determine the best settings to increase a hearing aid user’s tolerance for background noise so they can wear their hearing aids in these environments and hear speech better. Benefits and disadvantages of at home testing will also be discussed.

Perceptions on Hearing Aid Use and Its Influence on Self-Esteem of Learners With Hearing Impairment in Integrated Settings in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Hearing impairment has been linked to low self-esteem in children. Many teachers have noted that a growing number of students are unwilling to wear hearing aids, even though non-governmental groups such as the Starkey Ear Foundation provide them free of charge. The study aimed to discover how learners with hearing impairment in integrated units in Nairobi City County, Kenya, felt about hearing aid use and how it affected their self-esteem. Peter Burke's Identity Control Theory directed the research. The study was conducted using a descriptive survey design. Headteachers, teachers in charge of learners with hearing impairment, parents, and learners with and without hearing impairment were the target population. A total of 90 participants were surveyed, including 8 headteachers, 15 parents, 8 teachers, 51 learners with hearing impairment who used hearing aids, and 8 learners who did not have hearing problems. Data was gathered by the distribution of questionnaires to learners, parents, and instructors, as well as a complementing interview with the headteachers. Pilot research was undertaken in a Nairobi primary school. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data. The computer programme SPSS version 22.0 was used to do inferential statistics. Thematic analysis was done on qualitative data. The study discovered that learners with hearing loss had generally positive attitudes concerning hearing aid use. Hearing aid use had a weak positive influence on the self-esteem of learners with hearing impairment as per the study's overall findings. The study recommends that the government provide schools with speech therapists/audiologists to follow up on language intervention of learners with hearing impairment who are wearing hearing aids, as well as encourage collaboration of a multi-disciplinary team that includes teachers, parents, headteachers, audiologists/speech therapists to ensure that they benefit from hearing aid use and improve their self-esteem.

CheckMyFit

Putting on hearing aids (HAs) is a regular and crucial task for every hearing aid wearer. A sub-optimal insertion can impact user adoption and audiological benefit. Ability to visually evaluate the insertion can be helpful to achieve a proper physical fit of hearing aids or similar devices, but this is currently a challenging task. In this work we present CheckMyFit, a smartphone-based, automated solution enabling users to quickly take a photo of their hearing aid placement, and compare it with a reference ideal insertion. To evaluate the tool's usability and potential benefit we conducted two user studies: a) a pilot lab study with 7 participants, and b) a field study with 17 participants. In the two-week field study, older participants with no prior hearing aid experiences were instructed on hearing aid insertion remotely and performed daily insertions independently at home. We found that CheckMyFit is easy and quick to use for almost all participants. Ear-photo-aided insertions tend to have higher quality than insertions without the tool. This correlation was significant and persisted throughout the 2 weeks of the study, and is retained after a short break. This suggests that CheckMyFit tool can provide real-world benefit to new users learning to insert their hearing aids. We also used CheckMyFit to remotely facilitate the field study, demonstrating its potential usefulness in tele-medicine.

Associations between aided speech audiometry and subjective assessment of hearing aid outcomes

Objective This study aimed to analyse outcomes with hearing aid (HA) use and to determine whether common audiological tests, including pure-tone audiometry or word recognition test, correlate with HA wearers’ subjective benefit. Design A retrospective chart review. Study sample A total of 129 patients who adopted new HAs between January 2011 and December 2018 were enrolled. Outcome measures including pure tone thresholds, word recognition score (WRS), and self-reported questionnaires were obtained 1, 4, and 12 months post fit. Results The mean aided threshold and WRS at each post-fit visit significantly improved from the unaided condition. Self-reported outcomes confirmed by the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) scores significantly improved compared to the unaided condition at 1- and 4-month follow-up. Results of the regression analysis indicated that the aided WRS score is a significant factor at all post-fit visits that explains less than 10% of the variance in HHIE scores. Conclusions Aided WRS is the factor most associated with subjectively reported HA outcomes, both in the short- and long term. Therefore, aided WRS should be considered as a useful tool for evaluating HA benefits, even after the prolonged use of HAs.

Hearing Aid Usage and Reported Hearing Difficulty in Americans With Subclinical Hearing Loss.

Subclinical hearing loss (SCHL) (previously defined by our group as a four-frequency pure tone average [PTA4] >0 to ≤25 dB) has recently been associated with depressive symptoms and cognitive decline. This suggests that the common 25 dB adult cutpoint in the United States for normal hearing may not be sensitive enough. We aim to characterize real-world hearing difficulties, as measured by hearing aid use and self-reported hearing difficulty, among individuals with SCHL. Analysis of biennial cross-sectional epidemiologic survey (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2012, 2015-2016). Community, multicentered, national. Noninstitutionalized US citizens ≥12 years old, n = 19,246. PTA4 (500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 Hz), high-frequency pure tone average (PTAhf) (6,000, 8,000 Hz), reported hearing aid use, subjective difficulty hearing. There were 806,705 Americans with SCHL who wore hearing aids (or 0.35% of the 227,324,096 Americans with SCHL; 95% confidence interval = 0.23%-0.54%). Among those with SCHL, 14.6% (33.1 million Americans) perceived a little trouble hearing and 2.29% (5.21 million Americans) perceived moderate/a lot of trouble hearing. When restricted to the borderline subcategory (>20 to ≤25 dB), 42.43% (6.64 million Americans) had at least a little trouble hearing. Among those with SCHL who wore hearing aids, 81% had a PTAhf >25 dB. Despite hearing loss traditionally being defined by PTA4 ≤ 25 dB in the United States, nearly 1 million adults and adolescents with SCHL wore hearing aids, and nearly half with borderline HL had subjective difficulty hearing. To better reflect real-world difficulties, stricter definitions of hearing loss should be explored, including a lower cutpoint for the PTA4 or by using the more sensitive PTAhf.

Spatial hearing in middle-aged and older adults with a hearing aid: Does noise type matter?

Purpose: The present study aimed to identify the overall patterns of spatial hearing in a sample population of the geriatric population wearing a hearing aid in an actual clinical setting and to investigate while paying attention to aging and the effects of spatial separation on informational masking (IM) of target speech of common types of noise in everyday life.Methods: Nine participants (mean age: 68.9 ± 9.6) wearing hearing aids participated. The spatial hearing abilities of the participants were assessed by measuring their speech reception threshold (SRT) and spatial release from masking (SRM), using speech-like (SLN) and steady-state (SSN) noise-maskers.Results: The study results identified a trend in the decrease in SRT in all noise conditions with increasing azimuth angles. The larger the target/masker spatial separation, the larger the SRM became in all noise conditions. Results revealed that geriatric hearing-impaired participants experienced a comparable amount of SRM from IM in SLN concerning SSN.Conclusions: Given these findings, the spatial separation did not have the same effects on the IM of target speech by SLN in the geriatric population wearing a hearing aid as it did in the general hearing-impaired population at younger ages. It can be inferred from these findings that the extent to which informational maskers can compromise the spatial hearing abilities of geriatric hearing-impaired listeners may depend on their age and the severity of spatial hearing loss being imposed on them.

Associations Between Parent Mental State Language and Child Inhibitory Control in Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

Children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) are at increased risk for neurocognitive delays, which can have cascading effects on development. Associations between neurocognition and the content of parental language-specifically the use of mental state vocabulary-have been observed in typically hearing (TH) children. This study investigated the role of parental use of mental state language (e.g., vocabulary related to thought processes, desires, and emotions) in explaining variability in neurocognition in children who are D/HH. Dyads of 62 TH and 69 D/HH children who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants (ages 3-8 years) and their primary parent were videorecorded during a 20-min play session. Specific mental state words used by parents were extracted. Child neurocognition (specifically, inhibitory control) was assessed using norm-referenced measures. Parent use of mental state language predicted child inhibitory control differentially based on hearing status, with a significant relation in the D/HH but not the TH group. Mental state vocabulary related to cognition (e.g., "think," "know"), but not to desire (e.g., "want," "like") or emotion (e.g., "feel," "frustrated"), predicted child inhibitory control in the D/HH group. Finally, there was a significant relation between the use of first person, but not second or third person, mental state verbs (e.g., "I think") and child inhibitory control. Parental use of cognitive mental state vocabulary models language around thought processes, and parents' use of first-person referents models "self-talk." Modeling of these linguistic forms is likely foundational for developing self-regulation. Children who are D/HH often experience reduced auditory access and/or language delays and thus rely on high-quality parental language input for longer periods of development than their TH peers. Continued support from interventionists is indicated to coach parents to be high-quality models of more abstract, decontextualized language, supporting complex language development and inhibitory control in children who are D/HH.

Chilean Spanish transcultural adaptation of CAP-II and SIR scales in an online format for parents of children with hearing aids or cochlear implants

Spoken language acquisition is challenging for very young deaf or hard-of-hearing children (DHH) who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants (CI). Timely decision-making for treatment is essential for these children and requires suitable assessments. Two such assessments are the Categories of Auditory Performance Index II (CAP-II) and the Speech Intelligibility Rating Scale (SIR). These have been shown to be helpful for the ongoing evaluation of developing speech perception and spoken language skills in various languages, but they are not available in Chilean Spanish. This study aimed to create a Chilean Spanish translation of the CAP-II and SIR appropriate for online self-administration by parents-caregivers in Chile to assist professionals in monitoring DHH children’s progress, considering the COVID-19 restrictions. The methods used in the process started with translating a self-report proposal from the original English versions of the CAP-II and SIR scales. Finally, the Chilean Spanish versions were tested in 107 Chilean parents-caregivers of DHH children with CIs. The results suggest these instruments are suitable for use in a Chilean context.

A Survey Study of Hearing Aid Satisfaction, Quality of Life, and Tinnitus of Elderly Hearing Aid Users

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate hearing aid satisfaction, quality of life, and tinnitus of elderly hearing aid users to help hearing aid rehabilitation of the elderly. Methods: A total of 50 elderly hearing aid users (average age 75.7 years) with or without tinnitus participated in this study. We implemented pure tone audiometry and tinnitogram and conducted four questionnaires including Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life (SADL), World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI).Results: Positive correlations were found between SADL and WHOQOL-BREF scores. The average total SADL scores and WHOQOL-BREF scores are 5 points and 3.4 points respectively. There were no significant differences in the average SADL and WHOQOL-BREF scores between the elderly with tinnitus and the elderly without tinnitus. About 90% of the elderly with tinnitus described high frequency tinnitus above 2,000 Hz. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents had an experience of tinnitus therapy and 67% of the elderly with tinnitus therapy experiences reported that tinnitus therapy was not helpful. Ninety-two percent of the respondents stated that wearing hearing aid was helpful to reduce their tinnitus. The emotional and catastrophic subscales of THI were correlated with VAS scores. Conclusion: Positive correlations were found between SADL and WHOQOL-BREF scores regardless of tinnitus presence. Tinnitus of elderly hearing users was not directly related to the quality of life and successful hearing aid intervention could be a key factor in improving the quality of life of the elderly.