The Baltimore HEARS Pilot Study
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Other Indications, Other Indications |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Other |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 60 - Any |
| Updated: | 8/24/2018 |
| Start Date: | February 2014 |
| End Date: | September 2015 |
The Baltimore HEARS Pilot Study: Hearing Health Care Equality Through Accessible Research & Solutions
The primary purpose of the study is to develop and test the preliminary efficacy of a
first-in-kind community-based intervention to provide affordable, accessible and effective
hearing health care to low-income, minority older adults.
first-in-kind community-based intervention to provide affordable, accessible and effective
hearing health care to low-income, minority older adults.
Age-related hearing impairment is strongly associated with poorer communicative functioning
and social isolation, but hearing impairment often goes undiagnosed and untreated,
particularly among minority and low-income older adults. Novel interventions that translate
research on social engagement, minority health, and hearing technology are needed to expand
delivery of hearing health care to underserved older adults. The Baltimore Hearing Equality
through Accessible Research and Solutions (HEARS) project will develop and pilot a
first-in-kind community-based intervention to provide affordable, accessible, and effective
hearing health care to minority and low-income older adults and their communication partners.
The study will follow a mixed-methods approach that will incorporate quantitative and
qualitative components throughout the formative and evaluative processes. Participants and
their communication partners will be randomized to an immediate treatment group or a 3-month
delayed treatment group. The investigators hypothesize that the intervention is associated
with increased social engagement and communication, improved quality of life, and decreased
loneliness and third-party disability in the immediate treatment compared to the delayed
treatment group.
and social isolation, but hearing impairment often goes undiagnosed and untreated,
particularly among minority and low-income older adults. Novel interventions that translate
research on social engagement, minority health, and hearing technology are needed to expand
delivery of hearing health care to underserved older adults. The Baltimore Hearing Equality
through Accessible Research and Solutions (HEARS) project will develop and pilot a
first-in-kind community-based intervention to provide affordable, accessible, and effective
hearing health care to minority and low-income older adults and their communication partners.
The study will follow a mixed-methods approach that will incorporate quantitative and
qualitative components throughout the formative and evaluative processes. Participants and
their communication partners will be randomized to an immediate treatment group or a 3-month
delayed treatment group. The investigators hypothesize that the intervention is associated
with increased social engagement and communication, improved quality of life, and decreased
loneliness and third-party disability in the immediate treatment compared to the delayed
treatment group.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age 60 years or older
- English-speaking
- Aural-oral verbal communication as primary communication modality
- Post-lingual hearing loss
- Does not currently use a hearing amplification device or hearing aid
- Signed informed consent to participate in baseline, 1 month, and 3 month assessments
- Have a communication partner able to accompany them to all study-related appointments
Exclusion Criteria:
- Individuals who do not fulfill inclusion criteria
- Score ≤ 25 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment
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