Interventions for Hearing and Vision Impairment to Improve Outcomes for People With Dementia: A Scoping Review
International Psychogeriatrics
Dawes, P., Wolski, L., et al. (2019).
International Psychogeriatrics, 31(2), 203-221.
This systematic review investigates the impact of treatments for sensory impairments on cognitive-communication outcomes of individuals with dementia. Conclusions regarding hearing interventions are included in this summary.
Horizon 2020, European Union
Database inception to June 2017
Randomized controlled trials; quasi-experimental studies; observational studies
17 total; 10 studies on hearing interventions
One case study investigating the use of cochlear implants to address a severe hearing deficit in an individual with dementia reported "immediate benefit from the cochlear implant, but no sustained benefit due to progression of dementia (although the patient may presumably have been worse off without the implant)" (p. 21).
Two studies investigating the use of assistive listening devices to address hearing deficits in individuals with dementia reported mixed results. On subjective measures, individuals demonstrated improvement; however, on psychometric communication measures, individuals showed no statistically significant improvements.
Five studies investigating the use of hearing aids to address hearing deficits in individuals with dementia reported improved hearing, quality of life, and cognitive skills among the individuals that used their hearing aids more frequently. Individuals with inconsistent and limited hearing aid use demonstrated fewer benefits.
