Many people living with dementia also live with hearing loss, as they are both age-related conditions. Furthermore, evidence suggests that hearing loss in midlife is one of the largest potentially modifiable risk factors for the development of dementia. Both hearing loss and dementia can have a substantial impact on numerous aspects of quality of life, including communication, cognition, social participation, mental wellbeing, and independence.
Research is needed to develop and evaluate interventions for co-morbid dementia and hearing loss. In addition, research is needed to evaluate and adapt existing dementia interventions to ensure that they are suitable for those living with hearing loss, as many such interventions (e.g., reminiscence therapy, peer support groups, music therapy) rely on hearing. There is also a need for research on suitable hearing loss interventions and devices for people living with dementia.
Heterogeneity in outcome measurement impedes the direct and reliable comparison of the results of dementia care trials. Consequently, Core Outcome Sets have been developed for dementia care trials, including a Core Outcome Set (COS) for use in trials of non-pharmacological community-based health and social care interventions for people living with dementia.
The aim of this research is to identify the core outcomes for trials of interventions for people living with co-morbid dementia and hearing loss. We will develop an add-on COS to an existing dementia COS by identifying additional core outcomes that are important to people living with co-morbid dementia and hearing loss, their families, and clinicians.
Principal Investigator: Dr Eithne Heffernan, NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham.
Nova Mathew, NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham.
Dr Helen Henshaw, NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham.
Prof Tom Dening, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Nottingham.
Dr Jen Yates, University of Nottingham.
Disease Category: Neurology
Disease Name: Dementia, Hearing loss
Age Range: 18 - 120
Sex: Either
Nature of Intervention: Any
- Charities
- Clinical experts
- Families
- Patient/ support group representatives
- Researchers
- Service providers
- Service users
- COS for clinical trials or clinical research
- Consensus meeting
- Delphi process
- Focus group(s)
- Interview
- Literature review
- Systematic review
This mixed methods research will be informed by the COMET handbook. We will establish a steering group of key stakeholders, including clinicians, researchers, people with lived experience of dementia and hearing loss and their supporters (e.g., relatives, carers). We will identify potential core outcomes through a comprehensive literature review, semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, and a review of the existing dementia COS. We will then use a modified Delphi approach and a consensus meeting to develop the add-on COS.