Background: Impairment in speech perception is a common feature of older adults. This study aimed at evaluating the acute and sub-acute (after three months) effects of auditory training on central auditory processing in older people with hearing loss.
Methods: A nonrandomized study was conducted enrolling 15 older adults with hearing loss and an average age of 78.6 ± 10.9 years. All participants underwent a baseline otoscopy, tympanogram, audiogram and speech-in-noise test with a signal-noise ratio (SNR) of 10 and 15 dB. Afterwards, auditory training intervention was implemented consisting of 10 training sessions over 5 weeks. Participants were divided into two groups: group 1 (G1) underwent auditory training based on a speech-in-noise test; group 2 (G2) underwent a filtered-speech test. Auditory processing was evaluated at baseline (T0) immediately after the intervention (T1) and 3 months after the intervention (T2).
Results: Group 1 were quite efficient regardless of the SNR in the right ear with statistically significant differences from T0 to T1 (p = 0.003 and p = 0.006 for 10 dB and 15 dB, respectively) and T0 to T2 (p = 0.011 and 0.015 for 10 dB and 15 dB, respectively). As for the left ear, the increase of success was statistically significant for the SNR of 10 dB and 15 dB from T0 to T1 (p = 0.001 and p = 0.014, respectively) and from T0 to T2 (p = 0.016 and p = 0.003). In G2, there was a significant variation only from T0 for T1 in the left ear for an SNR of 10 dB (p = 0.001).
Conclusion: Speech perception in noise significantly improved after auditory training in old adults.
Keywords: auditory perception; auditory training; elderly people; hearing loss.