Self and Significant Other Assessment of Hearing Device Aided Communication Skills in the Elderly with Hearing Loss

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the communication problems of elderly before and after using hearing aids. Thirty hearing aid users and 10 normal hearing control subjects with their relatives were enrolled in the study. Hearing aid users were divided into three subgroups based on the duration of use. Self Assessment of Communication (SAC) and Significant Other Assessment of Communication (SOAC) questionnaires were administered to hearing aid users, control subjects, as well as to their relatives for the evaluation of communication difficulties due to hearing loss. Intra-group comparisons were carried out in the patients using hearing aids, while inter-group comparisons were performed to evaluate the effects of different aided periods on communication skills. It was found that the communication difficulties reduced in the patients who used hearing aid for minimum one month. For the patients with hearing loss, hearing aid use of six months or more increased SAC and SOAC scores to a level comparable with control subjects. The present study conclude that the elderly patients of 60 years of age or more with moderate sensorineural hearing loss could catch up their normal hearing peers in their communication skills within six months only if they prescribed and used proper hearing aids.