Project Summary/Abstract
The long-term objective of this program of research is to increase access to hearing health care for underserved
older adults. The aims of this proposal focus on the hearing and communication needs of an older bilingual Latinx
population. Aim 1 will focus on speech understanding in noisy backgrounds. We will investigate the impacts of
age, hearing, cognitive processing, and bilingual language history on speech-in-noise performance. This aim
includes lab-based and virtual test protocols that will measure speech understanding, nonspeech auditory
processing, and nonverbal cognitive (i.e., executive function) processing skills. The results of these studies will
improve our theoretical understanding of speech perception abilities for all older adults, while specifically
increasing the knowledge base related to Spanish/English bilingual older adults. The investigations undertaken
in Aim 2 will focus on assessing and defining the challenges associated with age, hearing loss, and bilingualism
in every day communication. A mixed methods approach will be undertaken in Aim 2. One study will rely on
ecological momentary assessment (EMA)—brief surveys sent via mobile device periodically throughout the
day—to quantify the demand for use of both languages in a Latinx community of older adults within the broader
context of a majority English-speaking environment. In addition, interviews with the EMA participants will add
context to the survey questions related to communication and effort experienced in daily encounters. Finally,
focus groups will explore issues related to aging and hearing loss, and their impact on social engagement for
older bilingual Latinx adults. Importantly, we will seek to determine what the hearing and communication priorities
are for this growing and underserved population of older adults. The knowledge generated regarding speech
understanding and communication needs and priorities will be used in future grant applications to develop
community-integrated service models that will better serve older adults.