Project Description:
Age related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most common sensory deficit in older adults with nearly two thirds of adults over 70 experiencing some form of hearing loss that negatively affects their ability to communicate. However, the majority of these cases go untreated, contributing to negative outcomes including: social isolation, worsening physical and mental health, cognitive decline and even dementia. Education on communication strategies and hearing rehabilitation have been shown to reduce these negative outcomes and improve quality of communication, but despite their proven value, patients rarely receive these services because delivery of this care by skilled practitioners is not covered by insurance and no accessible means of delivering these services without an audiologist has been shown to produce the same quality of outcomes.
Pidgin is a personalized, adaptable telehealth system which can deliver hearing rehabilitation to patients affected by age related hearing loss (ARHL). Our system is designed to allow users to input their personal hearing struggles, be provided with an individualized lesson plan, teach the lesson plan through information and activities, and evaluate their learning through a platform that will be used by a hard of hearing individual (HoH) and a loved one or caretaker (referred to as a communication partner or CP). The platform will enable the CP to deliver the same quality care that a skilled practitioner could provide by analyzing input data and teaching a clinically proven rehabilitation curriculum. Learning these strategies will enable a hard of hearing individual to communicate better with those around them and live more independently, contributing to a more active engagement with loved ones and better quality of life.