Experiences of Hearing Aid Use; A Qualitative Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Experiences of Hearing Aid Use amongst people diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment or early Alzheimer's disease dementia: A Qualitative Study
IRAS ID
184062
Contact name
Sarah Gregory
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
Dementia is a global health problem, with 850,000 people in the UK diagnosed with dementia, and an estimated 44.4 million people worldwide. Dementia is a syndrome characterised by problems with memory and thinking, and there is currently no cure. One research avenue has suggested there may be an association between hearing loss and subsequent development of dementia. Possible explanations range from social isolation caused by hearing loss leading to dementia, to hearing loss being one of the first stages of the dementia process. Studies are being planned to run trials to interfere with this process, mainly with hearing aids. Hearing aids are often not used as suggested, or even not used at all. In order to plan a successful intervention trial we must maximise the changes of complying with hearing aid use. We do not know why people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia do not use their hearing aids. This study aims to understand people's experiences and views relating to their hearing loss and hearing aid use. The results from this study will be used to inform future research study designs.
REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/2036
Date of REC Opinion
17 Dec 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion