Quality of Life Improvement in Hearing-Impaired Elderly People after Wearing a Hearing Aid
Arch Iranian Med 2009; 12 (4): 365 – 370
Archives of Iranian Medicine, Volume 12, Number 4, July 2009 365
Quality of Life Improvement in Hearing-Impaired Elderly People after Wearing a Hearing Aid
Yones Lotfi MD•
- , Saeideh Mehrkian MSc**, Abdollah Moossavi MD***,
Soghrat Faghih-Zadeh PhD†
Background: Communication is an important aspect of everyday life especially for elderly people. Hearing loss can impair the exchange of information and therefore reduces the quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of life in elderly people who are hard of hearing after wearing a hearing aid.
Methods: Hearing-impaired old people who referred to the rehabilitation centers of Tehran Welfare Organization for having a hearing aid completed the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly questionnaire before and three months after using a hearing aid. Scores of the effects of hearing loss on quality of life were compared for each subject and between males and females. Results: The results showed a significant improvement of the quality of life after three months of using a hearing aid in all participants and betterment of their most important problems i.e., the communication and exchange of information.
Conclusion: In conclusion, with respect to the beneficial effects of hearing aids in presbycusis and due to the significant improvement in the quality of life, hearing aids are recommended for this group of population.
Archives of Iranian Medicine, Volume 12, Number 4, 2009: 365 – 370.
Keywords: Elderly • hearing aid • hearing loss • Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) • quality of life
