Factors Affecting Hearing Aid Adoption and Use: A Qualitative Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (04) ◽  
pp. 300-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola E. Gallagher ◽  
Jayne V. Woodside
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Older People ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Difference

AbstractDespite a high prevalence of age-related hearing loss in older people, there is an unexplained low level of hearing aid adoption and use. Further research is required to determine the reason because hearing aids can vastly improve the quality of life for those with hearing loss.The aim of this study was to explore factors associated with hearing aid adoption and use, and to determine whether these differed between groups with different hearing aid use behaviors.Individual face-to-face semistructured interviews.Three groups of older people with hearing loss in Northern Ireland were recruited: (1) regular hearing aid users (n = 12), (2) irregular hearing aid users (n = 10), and (3) hearing aid nonowners (n = 10).Qualitative thematic analysis, using principles of grounded theory, was used to code the data and extract emerging themes for each of the three groups to distinguish similarities and differences between the groups. One-way analysis of variance and χ 2 tests were used to determine the difference in continuous and categorical variables, respectively, between the three groups.Similar themes emerged across the three groups: the complexity of low hearing aid use and attitudes to hearing loss/hearing aid use. A third theme, inadequacy of audiology services, was identified in both groups using hearing aids. Older age people having more severe hearing loss and longer duration of hearing aid ownership were associated with greater hearing aid adoption and use.Similar themes emerged from qualitative analysis across groups of people with hearing loss. More information for those with hearing loss and those with hearing aids and scheduled follow-up appointments for those with hearing aids are essential to improve hearing aid adoption and use in older people. Further research should focus on the most suitable methods of distributing this information and how often follow-up appointments should take place to achieve optimal hearing aid adoption and use.

scholarly journals INNOVATIVE POLICIES AND TECHNOLOGIES TO INCREASE ACCESS TO HEARING AIDS FOR ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S828-S829
Author(s):  
Michael Yong ◽  
Amber Willink ◽  
Catherine McMahon ◽  
Bradley McPherson ◽  
Carrie L Nieman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Insurance Coverage ◽  
Current State ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The World ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

Abstract As the proportion of older adults in the world’s total population continues to grow, the deleterious downstream health economic outcomes of age-related hearing loss are steadily becoming more prevalent. While recent research has shown that age-related hearing loss is the single greatest modifiable risk factor for dementia, the rate of hearing aid use remains low in many countries across the globe. Reasons for poor uptake are multifactorial and likely involve a combination of factors, ranging from increasing costs of hearing aid technology to lack of widespread insurance coverage. This paper aims to first identify the current state of hearing aid access across the world using eight representative countries as examples. We then provide recommendations on how to facilitate greater access to hearing aids for consumers by addressing areas in regulation, technology, reimbursement, and workforce.

Hearing Loss- and Hearing Aid-Related Stigma

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan F. Erler ◽  
Dean C. Garstecki
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Normal Limits ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Women’S Perceptions

Impaired hearing and the use of hearing aids are often perceived negatively. Many adults deny hearing loss and reject amplification, in part due to such stigma. Women and men differ in how they age and adjust to impaired hearing, yet little is known specifically about women’s perceptions of stigma related to hearing loss and hearing aid use. The purpose of this study was to examine the degree of stigma associated with hearing loss and hearing aid use among women in three age groups (35–45 years, 55–65 years, and 75–85 years). Participants were 191 women with hearing within normal limits based on age-related norms. Using pairs of descriptors (i.e., semantic differentials), participants completed statements related to hearing loss and hearing aid use. Results suggest that negative perceptions associated with hearing loss and hearing aid use are affected by age. Younger women perceive greater stigma than older women. Less stigma is associated with hearing aid use than hearing loss, suggesting a positive effect of hearing loss management. Implications for clinical practice and marketing of hearing instruments are discussed.

scholarly journals Hearing Care Disparities in Dementia: Access and Usability in the Coming Era of OTC Hearing Aids

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 746-746
Author(s):  
Carrie Nieman ◽  
Jennifer Deal ◽  
Sara Czaja ◽  
Esther Oh
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Care Partners ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract Age-related hearing loss is highly prevalent among persons with dementia (PwDs) and is associated with an increased risk of neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, few use hearing aids and disparities exist. PwDs and, in particular, minority older adults, have some of the lowest rates of hearing aid use. Recent federal legislation created the designation of over-the-counter hearing aids, which will debut by 2020-2021, and represents an opportunity to advance accessibility. This presentation will share estimates of hearing aid use among community-dwelling PwDs from two cohorts, where hearing aid use ranges from 7-11% among African Americans versus 33-45% among whites. To explore this gap, the presentation will share findings from semi-structured interviews with care partners of PwDs and hearing loss around barriers and facilitators of hearing care, including device usability. With growing understanding of sensory health, a changing hearing care landscape represents a critical opening to increase access to hearing care for PwDs. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Interest Group.

Hearing Technology Use and Management in School-Age Children: Reports from Data Logs, Parents, and Teachers

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 883-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha J. Gustafson ◽  
Todd A. Ricketts ◽  
Anne Marie Tharpe
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Data Logging ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
System Use ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss

Background: Consistency of hearing aid and remote microphone system use declines as school-age children with hearing loss age. One indicator of hearing aid use time is data logging, another is parent report. Recent data suggest that parents overestimate their children’s hearing aid use time relative to data logging. The potential reasons for this disparity remain unclear. Because school-age children spend the majority of their day away from their parents and with their teachers, reports from teachers might serve as a valuable and additional tool for estimating hearing aid use time and management. Purpose: This study expands previous research on factors influencing hearing aid use time in school-age children using data logging records. Discrepancies between data logging records and parent reports were explored using custom surveys designed for parents and teachers. Responses from parents and teachers were used to examine hearing aid use, remote microphone system use, and hearing aid management in school-age children. Study Sample: Thirteen children with mild-to-moderate hearing loss between the ages of 7 and 10 yr and their parents participated in this study. Teachers of ten of these children also participated. Data Collection and Analysis: Parents and teachers of children completed written surveys about each child’s hearing aid use, remote microphone system use, and hearing aid management skills. Data logs were read from hearing aids using manufacturer’s software. Multiple linear regression analysis and an intraclass correlation coefficient were used to examine factors influencing hearing aid use time and parent agreement with data logs. Parent report of hearing aid use time was compared across various activities and school and nonschool days. Survey responses from parents and teachers were compared to explore areas requiring potential improvement in audiological counseling. Results: Average daily hearing aid use time was ˜6 hr per day as recorded with data logging technology. Children exhibiting greater degrees of hearing loss and those with poorer vocabulary were more likely to use hearing aids consistently than children with less hearing loss and better vocabulary. Parents overestimated hearing aid use by ˜1 hr per day relative to data logging records. Parent-reported use of hearing aids varied across activities but not across school and nonschool days. Overall, parents and teachers showed excellent agreement on hearing aid and remote microphone system use during school instruction but poor agreement when asked about the child’s ability to manage their hearing devices independently. Conclusions: Parental reports of hearing aid use in young school-age children are largely consistent with data logging records and with teacher reports of hearing aid use in the classroom. Audiologists might find teacher reports helpful in learning more about children’s hearing aid management and remote microphone system use during their time at school. This supplementary information can serve as an additional counseling tool to facilitate discussion about remote microphone system use and hearing aid management in school-age children with hearing loss.

Hearing Loss, Control, and Demographic Factors Influencing Hearing Aid Use Among Older Adults

1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean C. Garstecki ◽  
Susan F. Erler
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Psychological Control ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Ego Strength ◽  
Hearing Sensitivity ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Hearing Handicap

Preference for non-use of hearing aids among older adults who are candidates for amplification remains to be explained. Clinical studies have examined the contribution of consumer attitudes, behaviors, and life circumstances to this phenomenon. The present study extends the interests of earlier investigators in that it examines psychological control tendencies in combination with hearing loss and demographic variables among older adults who elected to accept (adherents) or ignore (nonadherents) advice from hearing professionals to acquire and use hearing aids. One hundred thirty-one individuals participated by completing measures of hearing, hearing handicap, psychological control, depression, and ego strength. Participants were asked to provide demographic information and personal opinions regarding hearing aid use. Adherence group and gender differences were noted on measures of hearing sensitivity, psychological control, and demographic factors. Female adherents demonstrated greater hearing loss and poorer word recognition ability but less hearing handicap, higher internal locus of control, higher ego strength, and fewer depressive tendencies than female nonadherents. They reported demographic advantages. Female adherents assumed responsibility for effective communication. Although male adherents and nonadherents did not differ significantly demographically, male adherents were more accepting of their hearing loss, took responsibility for communication problems, and found hearing aids less stigmatizing. Implications for clinical practice and future clinical investigations are identified and discussed. Results are expected to be of interest to clinicians, clinical investigators, and health care policymakers.

scholarly journals Investigating the Impact of Hearing Aid Use and Auditory Training on Cognition, Depressive Symptoms, and Social Interaction in Adults With Hearing Loss: Protocol for a Crossover Trial (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Nkyekyer ◽  
Denny Meyer ◽  
Peter J Blamey ◽  
Andrew Pipingas ◽  
Sunil Bhar
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Auditory Training ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Hearing Aid Use

BACKGROUND Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit among older adults. Some of the psychosocial consequences of this condition include difficulty in understanding speech, depression, and social isolation. Studies have shown that older adults with hearing loss show some age-related cognitive decline. Hearing aids have been proven as successful interventions to alleviate sensorineural hearing loss. In addition to hearing aid use, the positive effects of auditory training—formal listening activities designed to optimize speech perception—are now being documented among adults with hearing loss who use hearing aids, especially new hearing aid users. Auditory training has also been shown to produce prolonged cognitive performance improvements. However, there is still little evidence to support the benefits of simultaneous hearing aid use and individualized face-to-face auditory training on cognitive performance in adults with hearing loss. OBJECTIVE This study will investigate whether using hearing aids for the first time will improve the impact of individualized face-to-face auditory training on cognition, depression, and social interaction for adults with sensorineural hearing loss. The rationale for this study is based on the hypothesis that, in adults with sensorineural hearing loss, using hearing aids for the first time in combination with individualized face-to-face auditory training will be more effective for improving cognition, depressive symptoms, and social interaction rather than auditory training on its own. METHODS This is a crossover trial targeting 40 men and women between 50 and 90 years of age with either mild or moderate symmetric sensorineural hearing loss. Consented, willing participants will be recruited from either an independent living accommodation or via a community database to undergo a 6-month intensive face-to-face auditory training program (active control). Participants will be assigned in random order to receive hearing aid (intervention) for either the first 3 or last 3 months of the 6-month auditory training program. Each participant will be tested at baseline, 3, and 6 months using a neuropsychological battery of computer-based cognitive assessments, together with a depression symptom instrument and a social interaction measure. The primary outcome will be cognitive performance with regard to spatial working memory. Secondary outcome measures include other cognition performance measures, depressive symptoms, social interaction, and hearing satisfaction. RESULTS Data analysis is currently under way and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in June 2018. CONCLUSIONS Results from the study will inform strategies for aural rehabilitation, hearing aid delivery, and future hearing loss intervention trials. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03112850; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03112850 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6xz12fD0B).

scholarly journals Treatment of age-related hearing loss alters audiovisual integration and resting-state functional connectivity: A randomized controlled pilot trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Rosemann ◽  
Anja Gieseler ◽  
Maike Tahden ◽  
Hans Colonius ◽  
Christiane Thiel
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Audiovisual Integration ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

Untreated age-related hearing loss increases audiovisual integration and impacts resting state functional brain connectivity. It is unclear whether compensation with hearing aids is able to alter audiovisual integration and resting state functional brain connectivity. We conducted a randomized controlled pilot study to investigate how the McGurk illusion, a common measure for audiovisual integration, and resting state functional brain connectivity of the auditory cortex are altered by six-month hearing aid use. Thirty-two older participants with slight-to-moderate, symmetric, age-related hearing loss were allocated to a treatment or waiting control group and measured one week before and six months after hearing aid fitting with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Our results showed that a hearing aid use of six months was associated with a decrease in resting state functional connectivity between the auditory cortex and the fusiform gyrus and that this decrease was related to an increase of perceived McGurk illusions. Our study, therefore, suggests that even short-term hearing aid use alters audiovisual integration and functional brain connectivity between auditory and visual cortices.

scholarly journals Association of Age-Related Hearing Loss with Cognitive Decline

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 145-153
Author(s):  
Juyong Chung
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Microvascular Disease ◽  
Single Mechanism ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

A number of studies have demonstrated a significant association between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and cognitive decline. However their relationship is not clear. In this review, we focused on the etiological mechanisms between ARHL and cognitive decline to explain the nature of this relationship: 1) causal mechanisms (e.g., cognitive load hypothesis, cascade hypothesis); 2) common cause mechanisms (e.g., microvascular disease); 3) overdiagnosis or harbinger hypothesis. We conclude that no single mechanism is sufficient and hearing and cognition related to each other in several different ways. In addition, we reviewed the effectiveness of hearing intervention (e.g., hearing aids and cochlear implants) on cognition function, and the role of hearing aid use and cochlear implant depends on the relevant mechanism.

Findings From EuroTrak Surveys From 2009 to 2015: Hearing Loss Prevalence, Hearing Aid Adoption, and Benefits of Hearing Aid Use

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3S) ◽  
pp. 451-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolai Bisgaard ◽  
Stefan Ruf
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Product Features ◽  
Hearing Status ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Analyze Data

Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze data from the EuroTrak surveys performed from 2009 to 2015 in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom to identify factors that could account for the growth in hearing aid sales over that period. Method Data of 132,028 people—approximately 15,000 for each of the 3 countries at 3-year intervals—were collected using a questionnaire. The sample in each country was weighted using the respective country age–gender populations to get balanced results. Furthermore, 11,867 persons with self-reported hearing impairment filled in a comprehensive questionnaire on hearing status and related matters; 4,631 were hearing aid owners. Data were pooled over the 3 countries for each of the years 2009, 2012, and 2015 and analyzed for developments over the 6-year period. In certain cases, data were pooled across countries and years. The analysis focused on hearing loss prevalence, hearing aid adoption rates, satisfaction with hearing aids, and benefits of hearing aid use. Results Hearing loss prevalence was stable over the period around 10%—slightly higher for men than for women. Hearing aid adoption overall increased from 33% to 37%, and bilateral use increased from 55% to 69%. Intervals between hearing aid renewals decreased. These factors contribute to increased hearing aid sales. Bilateral users are more satisfied with the hearing aid product features (76%) and performance (72%) and use their hearing aids 9.1 hr per day, compared with unilateral users where the corresponding numbers are 71%, 67%, and 7.8 hr, respectively. Satisfaction with hearing aid product features and performance in general is slightly increasing; hearing aid users are 14.5% less exhausted at the end of the day compared with nonusers with similar hearing loss and exhibit less depressive and forgetfulness symptoms. Conclusions The prevalence of self-reported hearing loss is 10.6% and stable, and hearing aid adoption has increased, particularly of bilateral fittings that are more satisfactory and exhibit higher daily use patterns. Higher uptake of hearing aids contributes to growing hearing aid sales.

The Hearing Performance Inventory and Hearing Aid Use in Profound Hearing Loss

1980 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 470-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmer Owens ◽  
Sharon Fujikawa
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Profound Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aid Use

Subjects with profound postlingual hearing loss completed the Hearing Performance Inventory (HPI) during the course of their hearing aid evaluations. Comparisons of responses to the HPI were made for (a) subjects who wore hearing aids versus subjects who did not, and (b)hearing aid users with losses greater than 100 dB versus users with losses between 80-100 dB. The former set of comparisons indicated consistently superior performance for the aided group, and the latter set indicated consistently superior performance for the 80-100 dB group. The HPI may be a valuable tool in hearing aid considerations.

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