Cognition and hearing: a study in elderly new users of non linear hearing aids with different release time constants

• Grant number: 09/12085-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2011
• End date: February 28, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Maria Cecilia Martinelli
• Grantee: Rosângela Ghiringhelli
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess and compare the performance of elderly new users of non linear hearing aids with different release time constants in sentence recognition test in noise. It will be a longitudinal clinical study with one year follow-up with three hearing assessments: prior to the hearing aid fitting, 6 months and one year post-fitting. In order to be part of the study, the subjects should: be over 60 years old; present bilateral mild to moderately-severe sensory neural hearing loss; never have used hearing aids. All the subjects that comply with the above criteria will undergo a cognitive assessment, ADAS-Cog, and their score will determine whether they are cognitively adequate or otherwise. ADAS-Cog will be applied again one year after the hearing aid fitting. There will be four study groups: G1 - 10 cognitively adequate subjects who will be fitted with slow release time hearing aids; G2 - 10 cognitively adequate subjects who will be fitted with fast release time hearing aids; G3 - 10 cognitively impaired subjects who will be fitted with slow release time hearing aids; G4 - 10 cognitively impaired subjects who will be fitted with fast release time hearing aids. At the end of the study we should be able to determine how much hearing impaired elderly individuals benefit from different release time hearing aids and how this is related to their cognitive levels. (AU)