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Communicating with elders: effects of speaker-listener distance
N P Erber1, J Holland, R R Osborn
1School of Human Communication Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
British Journal of Audiology
|August 26, 1998
Summary
Hearing loss makes conversation difficult with distance. Amplification, especially portable devices, significantly improves conversational fluency for older adults with hearing impairment, regardless of distance.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Gerontology
- Speech Communication
Background:
- Increasing communication distance negatively impacts speech audibility and conversational ease.
- Older adults with hearing impairment face significant challenges in social conversations due to distance-related speech degradation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of communication distance on face-to-face social conversation for older adults with hearing impairment.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of different listening conditions (no amplification, hearing aids, portable amplifier) in mitigating distance-related communication difficulties.
Main Methods:
- 27 older adults with hearing impairment participated in the study.
- Conversational fluency was assessed on a 1-5 scale at distances ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 meters.
- Three listening conditions were tested: unaided, with personal hearing aids, and with a portable amplifier.
Main Results:
- Conversational fluency was significantly higher with amplification compared to unaided listening.
- Shorter communication distances facilitated more fluent conversations.
- A portable amplifier maintained high conversational fluency across all tested distances.
Conclusions:
- Amplification is crucial for improving conversational fluency in older adults with hearing impairment.
- Portable amplification devices offer a promising solution for overcoming distance-related communication barriers in social settings.