BEARS Training Package to Maximise Hearing Abilities in Older Children and Teenagers With Bilateral...
Hearing LossSensorineural3 moreThe goal of the BEARS clinical trial is to determine whether using the directional listening training delivered via the BEARS training package for 3-months alongside usual care compared to only receiving usual care improves speech-in-noise perception, hearing experiences, vocabulary and quality of life and reduces listening effort in young people between 8-16 years old (inclusive) with two cochlear implants. The participants will complete hearing assessments and questionnaires before completing the 3-month intervention. They will be followed up for the next 9-months through online and in-person appointments.
Hearing Program in Primary Care
DeafnessDuring a primary care visit, investigators will screen and identify participants with hearing loss and then randomize to a) counseling on accessible assistive listening devices or b) referral to traditional audiology care pathway alone.
AB-Intra- and Post-Operative Measures of Auditory Function
Hearing LossCochlear ImplantThe purpose of this study is to see how the inner ear responds to sound delivered to the ear canal during and after your cochlear implant surgery. This information may be helpful in telling us how well a cochlear implant performs after surgery.
Hearing Loss and Communication Needs in a Group Care Setting for Older Adults
Age-related Hearing LossThe purpose of this study is to develop and test a multicomponent hearing care intervention for the PACE staff members in order to learn more about communication and engagement.
Preschool Hearing Screening
Hearing LossHearing Disorders in Children12 moreChildren who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (D/HH) are at risk of speech and language delays, which can be mitigated through early identification and intervention. Identifying hearing loss (HL) during preschool is crucial, but the most effective hearing screening method for preschoolers remains uncertain. The purpose of this study is to learn whether, compared to the gold-standard two-stage Pure-tone audiometry (PTA) + otoacoustic emissions (OAE) screening (TS-PO), single-stage OAE (SS-O) screening alone is not inferior at identifying hearing loss when performed in a community-based preschool setting. This study holds the potential to improve early hearing loss detection and intervention among D/HH children, reducing the likelihood of speech and language delays. A diverse group of 28,000 preschool-age children across community-based preschool centers will be recruited. The intervention involves all subjects undergoing both PTA and OAE screening, with the order determined through randomization. Children who show potential hearing issues based on screening results or teacher concerns will receive further testing to determine the final hearing outcome. Group allocation will be post-hoc, based on their screening results. In addition to the primary objective, the study will compare other hearing screening measures and outcomes between the two methods (TS-PO and SS-O). This approach aims to reflect the real-life effectiveness of hearing screening in a diverse population. Ultimately, the study seeks to provide insights into an optimal hearing screening method that could prevent speech and language delays among D/HH children.
Peripheral and Central Influences on Auditory Temporal Processing & Speech Perception in Older Cochlear...
Hearing LossCochlear Hearing Loss3 moreOlder adults who use cochlear implants to address hearing loss show wide variation in benefit. This research investigates the role of normal aging, the health of peripheral and central auditory pathways, and positioning of the cochlear implant electrode array in contributing to this variability. A range of input types from simple auditory signals to spoken sentences is used to examine these questions.
Text Message Reminders for Hearing Healthcare
Hearing LossMany individuals with hearing loss do not receive adequate hearing healthcare. Given their close and long-term relationships with patients, primary care providers (PCPs) could play a vital role in improving access to hearing healthcare. Unfortunately, hearing loss is often underdiagnosed in primary care settings, because hearing screening is not a routine part of primary care visits, and the responsibility often falls on the patient or family to recognize and address the issue. The investigators propose to pilot test the use of text message reminders to encourage elderly patients to discuss hearing assessment with there PCPs. The study objectives are to: 1) design an automated text-messaging reminder system; 2) assess the feasibility of deploying the intervention in a clinical trial setting; and 3) evaluate whether the intervention increases willingness to seek hearing healthcare.
Association Between Severe-to-profound Hearing Loss and the Balance Function of the Inner Ear
Hearing LossSensorineural5 moreSevere-to-profound hearing loss can have a major impact on patients´ lives leading to social isolation and decreased quality of life. Most commonly the hearing loss is caused by damage to the inner ear or cochlear nerve. Since the vestibular system which is central for our balance is located in the inner ear it can be suspected that patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss also might have an impaired vestibular function. This impairment may lead to a feeling of dizziness or vertigo. This study aims to investigate if patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss also have impaired vestibular function. The vestibular function will be measured with caloric irrigation, video head impulse test and vestibular evoked myogenic potential.
fNIRs, Listening Effort, and Speech Intelligibility
Hearing LossThe purpose of the current study is to measure oxygenation in the PFC using fNIRS in a sample of older adults with hearing loss. Adults with hearing loss will be asked to repeat the final word from low-context sentences in noise at two SNRs; a hard SNR (individually-measured SNR-50), and an easy SNR (SNR-50 + 10 dB) both without and with hearing aids set to a directional mode. The procedure will be a within-subject repeated measures. Stimuli will be randomized.
Autologous Bone Marrow Harvest and Transplant for Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Sensorineural Hearing LossAutologous human bone marrow mononuclear fraction (BMMF) will be harvested and given to children with bilateral moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss. The aim is to determine if bone marrow mononuclear fraction (BMMF) infusion is safe, feasible, improves inner ear function, audition, and language development.