In-Home Auditory Training for Older Adults with Hearing Aids: A Clinical Trial

描述（由申请人提供）：在2000年美国人口普查中，有3500万65岁以上的美国人被计算在内，占美国人口的12.4%。在美国，大约三分之一的65岁以上的人，大约有1200万美国人患有严重的听力损失，足以使他们成为助听器的候选人。然而，只有大约20%的人可以从助听器中受益，实际上寻求他们，在那些寻求他们的人中，只有大约40-60%的人对他们感到满意并经常使用助听器。为了获得成功，助听器必须解决听力受损的老年人最常见的沟通问题：他们可以听到语音，但不能理解它。当背景中存在竞争声音时，特别是其他语音时，尤其如此。虽然现代助听器为老年人提供了显着的好处，但为了将辅助语音通信恢复到正常或接近正常的性能水平并优化成功的机会，需要大大提高语音噪声比。对于许多老年人来说，现代助听器技术无法充分提高语音噪声比。解决这个问题的另一种方法是训练老年人更好地利用现有语音噪声比中的信息。本建议继续我们在这种指导培训方法方面的工作。具体来说，我们已经开发出一种创新的词汇动机的单词为基础的词汇训练协议，已被反复证明是有效的控制实验室条件下。我们的目标是将该协议从一个有效的实验室系统过渡到一个有效的老年人家庭护理培训系统。这种转变的第一步是对训练方案的最佳剂量和持续时间进行额外的实验室研究。同时，将开发家庭系统的平台。最后，将采用三分支平行设计进行家庭训练系统的临床试验，包括对照组、安慰剂训练组和实验训练组。 公共卫生相关性：听力受损的老年人最常见的沟通抱怨是他们能听到讲话，但不能理解它，特别是当背景中有竞争的声音时。助听器要对老年人有效，必须解决这一常见问题并改善言语理解。听觉训练是补充助听器所提供的益处的一种方法，老年人家庭听觉训练方法的有效性是该项目的重点。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the 2000 U.S. Census, 35 million Americans over 65 years of age were counted, representing 12.4% of the U.S. population. Approximately one-third of those over age 65 in the U.S., or roughly 12 million Americans, have a significant hearing loss that is sufficient to make them hearing-aid candidates. Yet, only about 20% of those who could benefit from hearing aids actually seek them out and, of those who do seek them out, only about 40-60% are satisfied with them and use their hearing aids regularly. To be successful, hearing aids must address the most common communication complaint of older adults with impaired hearing: they can hear speech, but can't understand it. This is especially true when there are competing sounds, typically other speech, in the background. Although contemporary hearing aids provide significant benefits to older adults, to restore aided speech communication to normal or near-normal performance levels and optimize the chances for success, the speech-to-noise ratio needs to be enhanced considerably. For many older adults, contemporary hearing-aid technologies are unable to enhance the speech-to-noise ratio sufficiently. An alternate approach to this problem is to train the older adult to make better use of the information in the existing speech-to-noise ratio. The present proposal continues our work on such an auditory-training approach. Specifically, we have developed an innovative lexically motivated word-based auditory-training protocol which has been demonstrated repeatedly to be efficacious under controlled laboratory conditions. Our objective is to transition this protocol from an efficacious laboratory system to an effective in-home auditory-training system for older adults. The first step in this transition is an additional laboratory study of the optimal dosing and duration of the training regimen. Concurrently, the platform for the in-home system will be developed. Finally, a clinical trial of the in-home training system will be conducted using a three-branch parallel design with control, placebo-training, and experimental-training groups. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The most common communication complaint of older adults with impaired hearing is that they can hear speech, but can't understand it, especially when there are competing sounds in the background. Hearing aids, to be effective for older adults, must address this common complaint and improve speech understanding. Auditory training represents one approach to supplement the benefits provided by hearing aids and the effectiveness of an in-home auditory-training method in older adults is the focus of this project.