The Effects of Music-Based Auditory Training on Hearing-Impaired Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Objectives: The present study identifies the effect of music-based auditory training on the elderly with hearing loss and decreased cognitive ability, common conditions in the older population. Methods: A total of 20 older adults diagnosed with both mild-to-moderately severe hearing loss and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) participated. Half of this group were randomly assigned to the auditory training group (ATG) and the other half were designated as the control group (CG). For the ATG, a 40-min training section (10-minutes for singing a song, 15-minutes for playing instruments, and 15-minutes for playing games with music discrimination) was undertaken twice a week for 8 weeks (for a total of 16 sections). To confirm the training effects, all participants were given tests pre- and post-training, and then follow-up test 2 weeks after the training, using various auditory and cognitive tests, and a self-reporting questionnaire. Results: ATG had significantly improved on the scores of all the auditory tests when compared to the scores for the CG group. Also, a significant improvement was found in the cognitive tests after the training except for the digit span tests. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups on the questionnaire scores although ATG did higher scores after the training. Conclusions: The music-based auditory training produced a positive effect in terms of a meaningful change in auditory function and also partial cognitive ability in the elderly patients with hearing loss and MCI. We expect that the music-based method will be used for auditory training of the elderly in clinics because of interesting and easy to follow.