Benefits of Choir for Older Adults with Unaddressed Hearing Loss (WP2)

Launched by TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY · Aug 29, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called the SingWell Project, is exploring whether group singing can help older adults with unaddressed hearing loss. Many people over 60 experience hearing loss that isn’t treated, which can make it hard to understand conversations, especially in noisy environments, and can negatively affect their social well-being. The researchers aim to find out if joining a choir for 12 weeks can improve how well participants hear and their overall happiness compared to those who join an audiobook club instead.

To participate, individuals need to be at least 60 years old and have mild to moderate hearing loss that hasn’t been treated with hearing aids or other devices. They should also be mentally fit enough to understand the study activities. The study plans to recruit 210 participants who will be split into two groups—one for singing and one for listening to audiobooks. Throughout the trial, participants will complete various assessments to measure their hearing and emotional health before and after the study period. This research could provide valuable insights into how group singing might benefit older adults facing hearing challenges.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Adults aged 60 years and older;
• • 2. Bilateral mild-to-moderate hearing loss (20-49 dB hearing level), measured using four-frequency pure-tone average across both ears (4FPTA) measured at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz;
• • 3. Unaddressed hearing loss (i.e., participants must not currently use a hearing aid, cochlear implant, or assistive listening device);
• • 4. No significant cognitive impairment, to be assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for people with hearing impairment (MoCA-H), with participants requiring a score ≥ 24;
• • 5. Not use a pacemaker or anti-arrhythmic agents/medications;
• • 6. Not currently participating in regular active music learning (e.g., choir, formal music training) or audiobook clubs within the last year; and
• • 7. Sufficient language capacity to understand and complete the test materials. Note: all materials will be presented written and/or aurally in English at the sites located in Canada, United States of America, and Australia; Dutch at the Netherlands site; and German at the Germany site.