Browsing by Subject "Falls"
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Item Auditory Impairment and Falls: Investigating the Link Between Hearing Loss and Falls among Elderly Individuals(2013-08-01) Villarreal, Adrian R.; Nicoleta BugnariuRecent studies show that hearing acuity correlates with postural balance, a prerequisite for mobility, and impaired hearing is associated with greater risk for falls. A possible connection between impaired hearing and falls in elderly adults could be that awareness resources may be taxed as cognitive load is increased when people with hearing impairment try to interpret what they hear. This practicum report investigated if an increased cognitive load due to auditory impairments in elderly individuals with hearing loss leads to imbalance while walking. Subjects are placed in a virtual reality world and subjects with and without hearing loss, wearing or not wearing their hearing aids will be monitored as they stand, walk, and listen under various conditions. The outcome measures analyzed were gait speed, medial-lateral and vertical displacement of an estimated center of mass, and average hearing scores. The overall goal was to gain a better understanding of the link between hearing and balance to offer new insight into prevention of falls among the elderly. Although no significant comparisons were observed between hearing impaired subjects on gait speed and center of mass displacement measures, it is important to note that not enough subjects have been observed with their hearing aids to make accurate comparisons. In addition to the experimental study, this practicum report briefly discussed the managerial tasks observed in ensuring the study follows the required guidelines involving human subjects.Item The Effect of Hearing Loss on Balance Control(2018-05) Kowalewski, Victoria C.; Bugnariu, Nicoleta L.; Patterson, Rita M.; Liu, Hao; Smith, Michael L.We investigated the contribution of auditory inputs to balance control in healthy young adults and older adults with normal hearing by simulating hearing loss, as well as in older adult with hearing loss by testing with and without hearing aids. Twenty healthy young adults with normal hearing, twenty older adults with normal hearing, and twenty older adults with hearing aids completed single- and dual- tasks consisting of a standardized audiology test (BKB-SIN) and maintaining standing balance in response to surface translations. Participants performed an auditory task of repeating back sentences from a standardized audiological test, the Bamford-Kowal-Bench Speech-In-Noise (BKB-SIN), played through wireless noise-cancelling headphones under randomized normal hearing and simulated hearing loss conditions or through surrounding speakers under hearing aid or no hearing aid condition. Simulated hearing loss was achieved using Adobe Audition software and a FFT logarithmic curve to manipulate sound volume and frequencies of standardized sentences according to age-related moderate hearing loss documented in literature. Backward surface translation perturbations inducing a forward loss of balance were synchronized with the auditory task and presented randomly at three levels (0m/s2, 2m/s2, and 5 m/s2). Primary outcome measures included: maximum Center of Pressure ? Center of Mass (COP-COM) distance in response to perturbation during the first compensatory step, reaction time for initiating the first compensatory step, number of steps after loss of balance, and performance on the BKB-SIN. Repeated measures ANOVA were conducted for each dependent variable with respect to perturbation level and auditory condition. Results show reaction time decreases, maximum COP-COM distance increases, and number of steps increases as perturbation level increases across all groups. BKB-SIN scores and reaction time were significantly worse under the simulated hearing loss condition. Hearing aids significantly improved BKB-SIN scores, but not balance scores. Hearing loss affects reactive balance control, particularly while simultaneously attending to auditory tasks. Older adults maintain the ability to initiate compensatory steps, but they require an increase number of steps to regain balance. Individuals with hearing loss may be at greater risk of falling compared to individuals with normal hearing due to age-related cognitive and neurodegenerative changes associated with hearing loss.