Effects of choir participation and musical training on auditory processing in hearing aided older adults.

Hearing loss, which most adults will experience to some degree as they age, has been associated with decreased emotional wellbeing and reduced quality of life in aging adults. Although hearing aids can target aspects of peripheral hearing loss, persistent perceptual deficits are widely reported. One prevalent example is the loss of the ability to perceive speech in a noisy environment, which severely impacts quality of life and goes relatively unremediated by hearing aids. Musicianship has been shown to improve aspects of auditory processing, and choir participation has been implemented as an intervention to improve these abilities in older adults, but this has not been examined in older adults with hearing aids. The current study investigates whether the benefits of choir participation and musical training can harnessed to improve aspects of auditory processing, including speech perception in noise, in hearing aided older adults.

Faculty Supervisor:

Frank Russo

Student:

Ella Dubinsky

Partner:

Unitron Hearing Ltd.

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program: