What are the Correlates of Hearing Aid Use for People Living With Dementia?

Emma Hooper; Laura J E Brown; Piers Dawes; Iracema Leroi; Christopher J Armitage

doi:10.1177/08982643241238253

What are the Correlates of Hearing Aid Use for People Living With Dementia?

J Aging Health. 2024 Mar 18:8982643241238253. doi: 10.1177/08982643241238253. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Emma Hooper^{1

2}, Laura J E Brown^{1

3}, Piers Dawes^{4

5}, Iracema Leroi⁶, Christopher J Armitage^{3

7}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Psychology and Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
² Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Science, Institute of Health, University of Cumbria, Carlisle, UK.
³ Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
⁴ Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
⁵ Centre for Hearing Research (CHEAR), School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁶ Global Brain Health Institute and School of Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
⁷ NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

PMID: 38497649
DOI: 10.1177/08982643241238253

Abstract

Objectives: To identify correlates of hearing aid use in people with dementia and age-related hearing loss.

Methods: Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses of predictor variables from 239 participants with dementia and hearing loss in the European SENSE-Cog Randomized Controlled Trial (Cyprus, England, France, Greece, and Ireland).

Results: In multivariate analysis, four variables were significantly associated with hearing aid use: greater self-perceived hearing difficulties (OR 2.61 [CI 1.04-6.55]), lower hearing acuity (OR .39 [CI .2-.56]), higher cognitive ability (OR 1.19 [CI 1.08-1.31]), and country of residence. Participants in England had significantly increased odds of use compared to Cyprus (OR .36 [CI .14-.96]), France (OR .12 [CI .04-.34]) or Ireland (OR .05 [CI .01-.56]) but not Greece (OR 1.13 [CI .42-3.00]).

Conclusions: Adapting interventions to account for cognitive ability, country of residence, self-perceived hearing difficulties, and hearing acuity may support hearing aid use in people with dementia.

Keywords: correlates; dementia; hearing aid.