This study describes the benefit in hearing aid (HA) use in a sample of elderly experienced HA users (n = 102, mean age 81.1 years), investigating the role of the subject's age, hearing impairment and cognitive function. The benefit was assessed in aided condition by measuring audiometric outcomes (aided thresholds and speech reception in quiet and in noise) and self-assessed outcomes addressing the disability and the handicap domains of auditory dysfunction. Several cognitive abilities were assessed, including short-term memory, working memory and executive functions. To discover potential latent factors and assess which factors significantly influenced the benefit, age, hearing impairment, cognitive function, audiometric and self-assessed outcomes were examined with multivariate analysis, followed by correlation and regression analysis. The analysis revealed a significant improvement in aided audiometric outcomes and a decrease in the perceived disability and handicap in the sample population. The multivariate, correlation and regression analyses showed that better aided audiometric outcomes were significantly associated with hearing impairment of lower degree and higher cognitive abilities. Moreover, self-assessed outcomes were significantly associated with audiometric outcomes and hearing impairment: subjects with better audiometric outcomes and lower hearing impairment tend to perceive more benefit in using their HAs. Cognition was only indirectly associated with self-assessed outcomes through its direct correlation with aided audiometric outcomes, meaning that the perceived subjective benefit with HA was not directly associated with better cognitive abilities.
Questo studio analizza il beneficio protesico in un campione di soggetti anziani (n = 102, età media 81,1 anni), indagando il ruolo svolto dall'età, dal deficit uditivo e dalle abilità cognitive. Il beneficio protesico è stato valutato sia come miglioramento delle caratteristiche audiometriche con protesi (in termini di soglie tonali e soglie di percezione del parlato in quiete e nel rumore) sia come diminuzione della percezione della disabilità e dell'handicap dovuti alla ipoacusia. Sono state valutate diverse abilità cognitive, tra cui la memoria a breve termine, le funzioni esecutive e l'attenzione. I dati raccolti sono stati analizzati tramite un'analisi multivariata, seguita da un'analisi di correlazione e regressione per evidenziare possibili fattori latenti tra le variabili in gioco e valutare come l'età, il deficit uditivo e le abilità cognitive influenzavano il beneficio protesico. L'analisi ha rivelato un miglioramento significativo del profilo audiometrico con protesi e una diminuzione della disabilità e dell'handicap percepiti. L'analisi multivariata, insieme con quella di correlazione e di regressione ha evidenziato che i soggetti con migliori abilità cognitive e minor deficit uditivo erano significativamente caratterizzati da un più evidente miglioramento del profilo audiometrico con protesi. Inoltre, è stata rilevata una relazione significativa tra la disabilità e l'handicap percepiti, il profilo audiometrico con protesi e il grado di ipoacusia: i soggetti con miglior profilo audiometrico con protesi e minor deficit uditivo erano significativamente caratterizzati da una più evidente diminuzione dell'handicap e della disabilità percepiti. Lo studio non ha invece evidenziato alcuna relazione diretta tra le abilità cognitive e il beneficio protesico riguardante la percezione dell'handicap e della disabilità.
Benefit of hearing aid use in the elderly: the impact of age, cognition and hearing impairment
TOGNOLA, GABRIELLA
2019
Abstract
This study describes the benefit in hearing aid (HA) use in a sample of elderly experienced HA users (n = 102, mean age 81.1 years), investigating the role of the subject's age, hearing impairment and cognitive function. The benefit was assessed in aided condition by measuring audiometric outcomes (aided thresholds and speech reception in quiet and in noise) and self-assessed outcomes addressing the disability and the handicap domains of auditory dysfunction. Several cognitive abilities were assessed, including short-term memory, working memory and executive functions. To discover potential latent factors and assess which factors significantly influenced the benefit, age, hearing impairment, cognitive function, audiometric and self-assessed outcomes were examined with multivariate analysis, followed by correlation and regression analysis. The analysis revealed a significant improvement in aided audiometric outcomes and a decrease in the perceived disability and handicap in the sample population. The multivariate, correlation and regression analyses showed that better aided audiometric outcomes were significantly associated with hearing impairment of lower degree and higher cognitive abilities. Moreover, self-assessed outcomes were significantly associated with audiometric outcomes and hearing impairment: subjects with better audiometric outcomes and lower hearing impairment tend to perceive more benefit in using their HAs. Cognition was only indirectly associated with self-assessed outcomes through its direct correlation with aided audiometric outcomes, meaning that the perceived subjective benefit with HA was not directly associated with better cognitive abilities.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.