Post-lingually deafened adults, cochlear implants and quality of life (QoL): a research study

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2013-12-06

Department

Towson University. Department of Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology and Deaf Studies

Program

Citation of Original Publication

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Copyright protected, all rights reserved.
There are no restrictions on access to this document. An internet release form signed by the author to display this document online is on file with Towson University Special Collections and Archives.

Abstract

Hearing loss is the third most common chronic medical condition in the elderly. Treatment options for hearing loss include hearing aids and cochlear implants. Cochlear implants (CI) are a viable option for post-lingually deafened adults, although benefit is extremely variable from person to person. Assessing quality of life (QoL) as a way to document CI benefit can be helpful both clinically and with strategic planning for centers. While functional benefit assessment methods are standardized, there is no standard protocol for assessing QoL. Results from this study suggested that a standardized protocol for assessing QoL with post-lingually deafened adults using cochlear implants could be helpful.