Evaluation of the Quality of Life After a Multidisciplinary Auditory Rehabilitation Program

In 2008, the Handicap-Santé survey counted 10 million people with hearing difficulties in France, i.e. 16% of the national population. For 5.4 million of these people, the hearing limitations considered to be moderate to total, are likely to have repercussions on their daily life. In 2010, 600,000 people with hearing loss wore hearing aids, including 360,000 with very severe to total limitations who were unable to follow a conversation with others. Hearing loss can impact hearing skills (comprehension in noisy environments or with multiple speakers) and be a source of cognitive decline. It can also limit the quality of exchanges, communication and information taking. Several studies have shown that hearing loss can also have a negative effect on quality of life, psychological well-being, personal fulfillment, social relationships and can lead to social isolation, depression and/or anxiety. Currently, the treatment of people with hearing loss is often limited to hearing aids from a hearing aid specialist. Hearing rehabilitation and lip-reading training with a speech therapist may be offered at a later stage. However, many people who have been fitted with a hearing aid describe a decrease in their quality of life despite the fitting. Current treatment seems to deal mainly with auditory-cognitive problems. To date, no multidisciplinary rehabilitation services seem to be offered in France to take into account the other consequences of this condition: anxiety, depression, and limitations in social participation.