Studying Hearing Aid Benefits for Older Adults with Alzheimers Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Different Signal Processing Approaches

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating how different hearing aid signal processing strategies affect older adults with Alzheimers dementia and its common precursor, amnestic mild cognitive impairment. The study aims to understand how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, influence the benefit individuals receive from advanced hearing aid signal modifications. The goal is to optimize hearing aid settings based on each persons hearing and cognitive capacities. Participants will use commercially available hearing aids programmed with two different signal processing approaches one with a high level of signal manipulation and another with a low level. Each participant will wear hearing aids with one type of signal modification for 3 to 5 weeks, then switch to the other type for another 3 to 5 weeks. The order of these treatments is randomized. During the study, participants speech understanding and conversations will be evaluated both with and without hearing aids. Researchers will measure changes in speech intelligibility and analyze communication breakdowns and repair behaviors. Assessments occur at the start and end of each treatment phase. The study is double-masked and aims to identify which hearing aid processing best supports communication for people with cognitive impairment. Participation lasts for the duration of both treatment phases, approximately 6 to 10 weeks total.

Characterizing Variability in Hearing Aid Outcomes in Among Older Adults With Alzheimer's Dementia