Measurement of hearing aid outcome in the elderly: comparison between young and old elderly.

Objective: To evaluate speech performance and subjective outcomes for older individuals who have hearing impairment and use digital hearing aids. The outcomes between young and old elderly users were compared.

Study Design: Prospective.

Subjects And Methods: Fifty-nine patients with hearing loss fitted with digital hearing aids were included. They were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 32 subjects aged 65 to 80 years, whereas group B had 27 subjects older than 80 years. Speech performance and subjective outcomes were measured 4 months after fitting of hearing aids. Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly-Screening Version (HHIE-S), Client Oriented Scale of Improvement (COSI), satisfaction, and usage questionnaires were used as subjective assessments.

Results: Improvements in speech performance were not significantly different between these two groups. There were no statistical differences in terms of HHIE-S score reduction, satisfaction rate, daily usage time, and COSI scores between both groups.

Conclusion: Age by itself is not a limiting factor for older patients with hearing impairment to benefit from digital hearing aids.