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

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.