Evaluating the Effectiveness of a New Auditory Training Program on the Speech Recognition Skills and Auditory Event-Related Potentials in Elderly Hearing Aid Users

Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new auditory training (AT) program on the speech recognition in the noise and on the auditory event-related potentials in elderly hearing aid users. Methods: Thirty-three elderly individuals using hearing aids aged from 60 to 80 years participated. A new AT program was developed for the study. AT program lasts for 8 weeks and includes sound discrimination exercises and cognitive exercises. Seventeen individuals (mean age 72.17 ± 6.94) received AT and 16 individuals (mean age 71.75 ± 6.81) did not receive AT. The mismatch negativity (MMN) test and matrix test were used to evaluate the effectiveness of AT. Tests were conducted for the study group before and after the AT. The tests were carried out for the control group at the same times with the study group and the results were compared. Results: In comparison with the first evaluation, the last evaluation of the study group demonstrated a significant difference regarding the decrease of mean latency in the MMN wave (p = 0.038), and regarding the improving score of matrix test (p = 0.004), there was no difference in the control group. Conclusion: The AT program prepared for the study was effective in improving speech recognition in noise in the elderly, and the efficiency of AT could be demonstrated with MMN and matrix test.