１．Purpose of the Study

Conduct a fact-finding survey on the impact of hearing loss on the examination of elderly dementia patients during the examination, and conduct research and study on how to create a dementia-friendly community that takes elderly dementia patients into consideration.

２．Outline of Project Implementation

To investigate the effect on the score during the dementia test with and without hearing assistance. To examine the optimal method of hearing assistance during the test in the case of hearing loss and the sound field in the test environment.

Survey Conducted by
Professor, Department of Neurology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine Dr. Yoshio Tsuboi, Deputy Director, Fukuoka City Medical Center for Dementia Diseases
Dr. Goma, Lecturer, Fukuoka City Medical Center for Dementia Diseases, Department of Neurology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine
Dr. Kotoe Inoue, Clinical Psychologist, Department of Neurology, Fukuoka University Hospital
Shinichiro Nakaishi, Researcher, Center for Space Regenerative Medicine, Hiroshima University

１．Objective.

This study will examine the effects of poor auditory comprehension on cognitive function tests in the elderly.

２．implementation subject

Elderly people over 75 years old diagnosed with MCI or dementia

３．implementation method

The purpose of this study is to compare the test results of subjects with auditory comprehension difficulties on cognitive function tests by using a dialogue support speaker (Comuoon). The Mini-Mental State Test (MMSE) was used as the cognitive function test.

４．Results and Discussion

The examination site is a soundproofed examination room. The distance between the subject and the examiner is approximately 60 cm, and the 90-degree interview method is used.
The examiner uses a sound level meter (Meterk SLM01) to maintain a constant voice level within the range of 50db to 60db.
The Comuoon is placed in the subject’s midsection during the procedure, and the purpose of the Comuoon is explained, as well as the fact that it can be moved and brought close to the ear.
The sound level of the Comuoon unit should be adjusted by the subject and the examiner prior to the test, and adjusted to a level that is acceptable to the subject. The volume level can also be changed during the course of the test.
Statistical processing was performed by Student’s t-test, with P<0.05 indicating a significant difference. Twenty-seven cases were administered. The proportion of males was 40.7%. Mean age at examination was 77.3±7.5 years. The mean MMSE before the test was 22.2±3.2, and the mean MMSE with the interactive speaker was 24.33±2.4. The mean change in MMSE between pre-test and dialogue support speaker was 2.2±2.2 points (p<0.01). It was hypothesized that the lack of listening back and forth during the inspection phase may have reduced the time required to perform the test. In the 27 cases examined in this study, the inspection time was not measured before and after the inspection, and therefore, it is considered necessary to measure the inspection time in this study. In the present examination, the average duration between examinations was 4.3 ± 2.1 months. Since the duration of testing was not identified, some of the longer individuals had more than six months between tests, suggesting a decline in cognitive function regardless of hearing. Dementia is a progressive condition, suggesting that it may have progressed over the course of the study period regardless of hearing. In order to examine the effect of hearing on cognitive function, it would be appropriate to conduct the same examination over a shorter period of time, approximately one month. 　In addition, in the present examination, the analysis was not divided into the progression of cognitive function. In the present diagnosis, the test was conducted on subjects with mild to moderate levels of cognitive function, but it is considered necessary to conduct the analysis within the levels of MCI, mild, moderate, and advanced. In addition to the classification by stage of dementia, background factors such as educational history should also be taken into consideration1 when generating the average MMSE score. In the case of patients with dementia, testing the level of hearing loss using pure tone testing is considered difficult to perform because it takes an average of 15 minutes. However, the company believes that this problem can be solved by using the application developed by Universal Sound Design, Inc. as part of the Strategic Fundamental Technology Advancement Support Project to check word discrimination.

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