hearing aids in the elderly

What is it about?

Using hearing aids for a relatively short period can induce changes in the way older adults process auditory inputs in perceptual tasks such as speech identification in noise and dichotic listening. These changes suggest that the central auditory system of older adults retains the potential for behaviorally relevant plasticity.

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Why is it important?

Our findings suggest that hearing-aid use in older adults might be important for the preservation and even rehabilitation of high-order central functions of the auditory system. Even a relatively brief period of auditory input modification (hearing aid use) in presbycusis may improve the long-term ability to use perceptual cues, and thus improve auditory processing in adverse listening environments, even in unaided conditions. 40% of the participants in the study groups reported that they thought that their unaided hearing improved. Nevertheless, standard hearing tests and thresholds in decibels for monosyllabic words indicated no improvement. These subjective reports, spontaneously offered by the participants, support our proposal of gains in auditory perception even after a relatively short period of hearing-aid use. Perhaps these individuals’ sensations reflect the improvement in higher order auditory function in challenging listening situations.