DIGIT SPAN, VERBAL FLUENCE AND PERFORMANCE OF ELDERLY HEARING PROSTHESIS USERS

• Grant number: 23/18415-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Maria Cecilia Martinelli
• Grantee: Joseane de Oliveira Silva
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: This project addresses the relationship between changes in audibility in older people and cognition. The justification for this line of research is the increase in life expectancy around the world, the low educational level of older people, especially in developing countries like Brazil, and its consequent impact on cognition. Objective: To evaluate cognitive processes through the digit span and verbal fluency test, and its influence on the use of acoustic stimulation through hearing aids in elderly people from the SUS hearing health service. Method: This is a cross-sectional observational study with a convenience sample. It will be carried out at the Integrated Hearing Assistance, Research and Teaching Center (NIAPEA). 30 older people who attend the annual follow-up consultation at the service and meet the inclusion criteria: age equal to or greater than 60 years; hearing loss acquired during aging, symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss of mild to severe degree and use of hearing aids bilaterally, will be included in the study, Basic Audiological Evaluation will be performed: pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and acoustic immittance measurements, verification will be performed electroacoustics. with speech stimulus presented at 65 dBSPL. The research protocol will include performance of forward and reverse digit span tasks, verbal fluency test for animals, International Individual Sound Amplification Devices Questionnaire (IQ-AASI), and Speech, Spatial and Auditory Qualities Scale (SSQ-12) Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis will be carried out.