Communication Challenges and Barriers to Hearing Care for Older Bilingual Latinx Adults

项目总结/摘要 这项研究计划的长期目标是增加听力保健服务不足的人获得听力保健的机会。 老年人这项建议的目的集中在听力和交流的需要，一个老年双语拉丁美洲人 人口目标1将专注于噪声背景下的语音理解。我们将调查 年龄、听力、认知处理和双语语言史对噪声中言语表现的影响。这一目标 包括基于实验室和虚拟测试协议，将测量语音理解，非语音听觉 处理和非语言认知（即，执行功能）处理技能。这些研究的结果将 提高我们对所有老年人言语感知能力的理论理解， 增加与西班牙语/英语双语老年人有关的知识基础。进行的调查 目标2将重点评估和定义与年龄、听力损失和双语相关的挑战 在每天的沟通中。目标2将采用混合方法。一项研究将依赖于 生态瞬时评估（EMA）-通过移动终端定期发送的简短调查， 一天，以量化在更广泛的范围内，拉丁裔老年人社区使用两种语言的需求， 在一个以英语为主的环境中。此外，与EMA参与者的访谈将增加 调查问题的背景与日常遇到的沟通和努力有关。最后， 焦点小组将探讨与衰老和听力损失相关的问题，以及它们对社会参与的影响， 年长的拉丁裔双语成年人重要的是，我们将寻求确定听证和沟通的优先事项 是为不断增长的老年人服务的。关于言语的知识 理解和沟通的需要和优先事项将用于未来的赠款申请，以发展 社区综合服务模式，更好地为老年人服务。

Project Summary/Abstract The long-term objective of this program of research is to increase access to hearing health care for underserved older adults. The aims of this proposal focus on the hearing and communication needs of an older bilingual Latinx population. Aim 1 will focus on speech understanding in noisy backgrounds. We will investigate the impacts of age, hearing, cognitive processing, and bilingual language history on speech-in-noise performance. This aim includes lab-based and virtual test protocols that will measure speech understanding, nonspeech auditory processing, and nonverbal cognitive (i.e., executive function) processing skills. The results of these studies will improve our theoretical understanding of speech perception abilities for all older adults, while specifically increasing the knowledge base related to Spanish/English bilingual older adults. The investigations undertaken in Aim 2 will focus on assessing and defining the challenges associated with age, hearing loss, and bilingualism in every day communication. A mixed methods approach will be undertaken in Aim 2. One study will rely on ecological momentary assessment (EMA)—brief surveys sent via mobile device periodically throughout the day—to quantify the demand for use of both languages in a Latinx community of older adults within the broader context of a majority English-speaking environment. In addition, interviews with the EMA participants will add context to the survey questions related to communication and effort experienced in daily encounters. Finally, focus groups will explore issues related to aging and hearing loss, and their impact on social engagement for older bilingual Latinx adults. Importantly, we will seek to determine what the hearing and communication priorities are for this growing and underserved population of older adults. The knowledge generated regarding speech understanding and communication needs and priorities will be used in future grant applications to develop community-integrated service models that will better serve older adults.