Measurements of speech intelligibility in common rooms for older adults as a first step towards acoustical guidelines

Adapting the built environment to the needs of nursing- or care-home residents has become common practice. Even though hearing loss due to ageing is a normal occurring biological process, little research has been performed on the effects of room acoustic parameters on the speech intelligibility for older adults. This article presents the results of room acoustic measurements in common rooms for older adults and the effect on speech intelligibility. Perceived speech intelligibility amongst the users of the rooms was also investigated. The results have led to ongoing research at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences and Eindhoven University of Technology, aimed at the development of acoustical guidelines for elderly care facilities.