Image of female doctor applying hearing aid to senior man's ear

Adults with dementia require multiple supports to optimize the use of hearing aids, from help with fit to social reinforcement, according to the authors of a new study published in JAMDA.

Hearing impairment is highly prevalent in people with dementia, affecting up to 90% of older adults with the condition, they reported. The negative consequences of hearing loss combined with cognitive impairment can greatly reduce quality of life. But treatment with hearing aids improves quality of life, wrote researcher Emma Hooper, MSc, of the University of Cumbria, United Kingdom.

Influential factors 

To pinpoint the key issues that affect the use of hearing aids in this population, Hooper and colleagues analyzed the results of 12 studies of community dwelling adults with age-related hearing loss who had air conduction hearing aids. Among the factors that appeared to have the greatest impact on use, five stood out:

  1. Handling: Difficulties in handling inhibited use, whereas being able to handle aids proficiently enabled use.
  2. Experience during use: Experiencing positive consequences from using the hearing aids was associated with their use.
  3. Degree of fit and comfort: Problems with fit were a barrier whereas finding them comfortable was an enabler.
  4. Person-environment interactions: Excessive noise or perceived lack of need in different listening situations led to reduced use.
  5. Support: Receiving social reinforcement enabled hearing aid use.

Interventions

“These factors are at least as important for people with dementia as the general population, suggesting that intervention approaches should account for this,” Hooper wrote. This might include cognitive rehabilitation to learn strategies to optimize hearing aid handling skills, for example.

But “standard pathways lack the flexibility to support the specific needs of people with dementia, and audiologists report that they lack formal training in dementia,” the authors wrote. What’s more, nearly a fifth of patients with dementia do not have adequate social support for their hearing aid use, they said.

“Our findings suggest that enhanced support pathways that tailor to the abilities and motivators of the individual with dementia while also accounting for their social support systems over time represent the best opportunity to optimize hearing aid use,” they concluded.

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