Measurement of hearing aid outcome in the elderly: comparison between young and old elderly.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate speech performance and subjective outcomes for older individuals who have hearing impairment and use digital hearing aids. The outcomes between young and old elderly users were compared.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Fifty-nine patients with hearing loss fitted with digital hearing aids were included. They were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 32 subjects aged 65 to 80 years, whereas group B had 27 subjects older than 80 years. Speech performance and subjective outcomes were measured 4 months after fitting of hearing aids. Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly-Screening Version (HHIE-S), Client Oriented Scale of Improvement (COSI), satisfaction, and usage questionnaires were used as subjective assessments.

RESULTS

Improvements in speech performance were not significantly different between these two groups. There were no statistical differences in terms of HHIE-S score reduction, satisfaction rate, daily usage time, and COSI scores between both groups.

CONCLUSION

Age by itself is not a limiting factor for older patients with hearing impairment to benefit from digital hearing aids.