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Difficulties experienced by hearing-aid candidates and hearing-aid users
British Journal of Audiology
|August 1, 1983
Summary
New hearing aid candidates report more speech understanding difficulties than experienced users, particularly in noisy environments and during television viewing. Many users also face challenges with their hearing devices.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Hearing Science
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Hearing loss significantly impacts daily communication and quality of life.
- Understanding the specific challenges faced by hearing aid candidates and users is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the self-reported difficulties experienced by hearing aid candidates and experienced hearing aid users.
- To identify specific areas of communication and environmental sound challenges related to hearing loss.
Main Methods:
- An open-ended questionnaire was administered to 250 hearing aid candidates and 250 experienced hearing aid users.
- Responses detailing difficulties due to hearing loss were collected and categorized into six major areas.
Main Results:
- Hearing aid candidates reported higher rates of difficulty understanding speech in both typical speechreading situations (92% vs. 81%) and non-speechreading situations (51% vs. 43%) compared to experienced users.
- Watching television was the most common specific difficulty reported by both groups (47% of candidates, 37% of users).
- 35% of experienced users reported difficulties specifically related to their hearing aids.
Conclusions:
- Hearing aid candidates experience greater speech comprehension challenges than experienced users.
- Specific difficulties, such as watching television and telephone conversations, are prevalent across both user groups.
- Further research and support are needed to address hearing aid user-related difficulties.