Expectations of older adults regarding the use of hearing aids.

A 48-item questionnaire was administered to 100 older adults to determine their expectations regarding hearing aid use. The sample consisted of volunteers from a variety of senior citizen organizations and ranged in age from 55 to 92 years. Only individuals who reported no prior hearing aid usage were included in the sample. Expectations for the following factors were considered: cosmetics, acoustics, communication benefits, comfort, ease of use, cost and upkeep, and attitudes toward hearing aid use. In general, the older adults in this sample appeared to have very positive expectations regarding the use of hearing aids. Eighty-seven percent apparently have medium to high expectations for hearing aid use. Since the older adult's satisfaction with amplification may be influenced by original expectations and attitudes, the information provided in this study may be useful in improving the pre-fitting counseling of older hearing-impaired adults.