Benefit of Baha in the elderly with single-sided deafness

The objective of this study is to determine the benefits of bone-anchored hearing aid (Baha) contralateral routing of signal (CROS) in the older adult population with single-sided deafness. Five questionnaires [general usage questionnaire, Glasgow benefit inventory (GBI), Abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit (APHAB), Nijmegen cochlear implant questionnaire and the hearing handicap inventory for the elderly-screening version (HHIE-S)] were used to evaluate Baha use. Consecutive patients over 60 years of age with SSD fitted with a Baha CROS between April 1990 and April 2007 not using a conventional hearing aid in the better-hearing ear were identified. Nine out of 11 patients (82 %) were still using their Baha CROS, and 7 of the 11 patients (64 %) were still satisfied. The patients experienced no to little problems with handling and cleaning of the device. The GBI scores show good benefit in domains total (14 ± 11) and general (19 ± 17). The APHAB shows that, overall, 3 out of the 11 patients (27 %) experienced significant benefit, while all others experienced no significant benefit and no drawbacks. The HHIE-S shows that the patients experienced severe (18 %), mild to moderate (46 %) or no handicap (36 %) when using the Baha CROS. In conclusion, the benefit of a Baha CROS for elderly patients with SSD is evident in the majority of patients.