Adaptive screening of sentence perception in older adults

An adaptive procedure was used to screen adult sentence perception by means of hierarchical compensation for previous errors (original acoustic stimulus greater than repetition greater than clarification greater than partial auditory-visual greater than all auditory-visual). The screening procedure yields not only percent correct scores, but also suggests minimal perceptual conditions under which hearing-impaired older adults can identify sentences. After screening in nursing homes, staff are observed to adapt the findings, devising strategies to enhance communication with residents. Typical client response patterns and consequent recommendations to caregivers are summarized.