Introduction
hearing loss, hearing and cognitive status, Hearing loss
HEARING LOSS, AIDS, HEARING LOSS
Hearing loss is highly prevalent among older adults. According to the World Health Organization, one-third of people over the age of 65 have debilitating hearing loss worldwide [The traditional method of treating mild to moderate hearing loss is through hearing aids, which are sound amplification devices adjusted by audiologists to the level and specificity of the person’s hearing loss. Chien and Lin [Market research and surveys have listed the cost of hearing aids as the main reason older adults do not seek help for their hearing loss [In recent years, there has been an upsurge in the popularity of personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) and over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids as affordable alternatives to traditional hearing aids. Both types of devices are readily available and may be bought by customers without the help of a healthcare professional. There are, however, differences between PSAPs and OTC hearing aids. OTC hearing aids are medical devices that must comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations and are used to treat mild to moderate hearing loss in people 18 years of age and older. The FDA established this new category of hearing aids to improve consumer access to hearing aids by enabling their purchase over-the-counter, without a prescription [Although PSAPs are gaining popularity, their appreciation and benefits on hearing ability are still equivocal. In a study of customer opinions, the authors identified many customers’ negative impressions across all types of PSAPs studied, with more positive comments expressed about high and medium-cost products than about low-cost products [This study aimed to recruit older adults with different hearing profiles to determine whether using PSAPs is associated with improved speech perception in noisy environments compared with an unaided condition. None of the participants had been diagnosed with hearing loss, but they were keen to explore the potential benefits of PSAPs for their hearing needs. PSAPs are primarily designed for people who may have difficulty hearing in specific situations, even if their hearing is normal for their age. By including people with different hearing sensitivity as measured with pure tone audiometry, the study aimed to examine the effectiveness of PSAPs in improving the hearing experience of people who may have difficulties in certain listening situations, even if they have not been clinically diagnosed with hearing loss. We hypothesized that using PSAPs improves speech perception in noise, as measured by task performance and self-reported listening effort. This improvement would be predicted by hearing and cognitive status.