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Item Inequality in access to hearing care for older adults in residential homes(Oxford University Press, 2019-07-31) White, Joanna D.; Johnson, Christine; DePlacido, Christine; Matthews, Ben; Steenkamp, LizanneBackground The population of older people in residential homes is projected to rise. There are unrecognized hearing difficulties among residents and prevalence of hearing loss in this population is underreported. This can result in an overestimation of levels of cognitive impairment. Untreated hearing loss is associated with social isolation, depression, disruptive behaviour and cognitive decline. This study aimed to explore the provision of hearing care (hearing assessment, rehabilitation and staff training) in Scottish care homes for older people.Item The role of outer hair cell function in the perception of synthetic versus natural speech(2007) Wolters, Maria; Campbell, Pauline; DePlacido, Christine; Liddell, Amy; Owens, DavidHearing loss as assessed by pure-tone audiometry (PTA) is significantly correlated with the intelligibility of synthetic speech. However, PTA is a subjective audiological measure that assesses the entire auditory pathway and does not discriminate between the different afferent and efferent contributions. In this paper, we focus on one particular aspect of hearing that has been shown to correlate with hearing loss: outer hair cell (OHC) function. One role of OHCs is to increase sensitivity and frequency selectivity. This function of OHCs can be assessed quickly and objectively through otoacoustic emissions (OAE) testing, which is little known outside the field of audiology. We find that OHC function affects the perception of human speech, but not that of synthetic speech. This has important implications not just for audiological and electrophysiological research, but also for adapting speech synthesis to ageing ears.Item The effect of hearing loss on the intelligibility of synthetic speech(2007-08) Wolters, Maria; Campbell, Pauline; DePlacido, Christine; Liddell, Amy; Owens, David; This research was funded by the EPSRC/BBSRC initiative SPARC and by the SFC grant MATCH (grant no. HR04016).Many factors affect the intelligibility of synthetic speech. One aspect that has been severely neglected in past work is hearing loss. In this study, we investigate whether pure-tone audiometry thresholds across a wide range of frequencies (0.25-20kHz) are correlated with participants' performance on a simple task that involves accurately recalling and processing reminders. Participants' scores correlate not only with thresholds in the frequency ranges commonly associated with speech, but also with extended high-frequency thresholds.Item Fostering Reflective Skills in Audiology Practice and Education(Georg Thieme Verlag, 2012-02) Cokely, C. G.; DePlacido, ChristineReflection is considered a deliberate process of learning from experience with the goal of realizing effective and rewarding patient and personal outcomes. Reflective thinking has become incorporated into clinical practice and education across health-care professions. Facilitators for development of reflection and reflective practice include appropriate timing, a supportive environment, feedback, and mentorship. This article introduces the reader to models and forms of reflection, discusses facilitators and detractors to effective reflection, and reviews critical commentary. The Reflective Journal, 4 Habits of Effective Audiologic Service, and Self Reflection of Learning are three tools that guide students or practitioners in reflective activities.Item Issues in Tinnitus: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Progressive Tinnitus Management & Tinnitus Retraining Therapy(2014-10) Beck, Douglas; DePlacido, Christine; Paxton, ColinItem Making Speech Synthesis More Accessible to Older People.(2007-08) Wolters, Maria; Campbell, Pauline; DePlacido, Christine; Liddell, Amy; Owens, DavidIn this paper, we report on an experiment that tested users' ability to understand the content of spoken auditory reminders. Users heard meeting reminders and medication reminders spoken in both a natural and a synthetic voice. Our results show that older users can understand synthetic speech as well as younger users provided that the prompt texts are well-designed, using familiar words and contextual cues. As soon as unfamiliar and complex words are introduced, users' hearing affects how well they can understand the synthetic voice, even if their hearing would pass common screening tests for speech synthesis experiments. Although hearing thresholds correlate best with users' performance, central auditory processing may also influence performance, especially when complex errors are made.Item Can older people remember medication reminders presented using synthetic speech?(BMJ, 2014-07-30) Wolters, M.; Johnson, Christine; Campbell, P.; DePlacido, Christine; McKinstry, B.Reminders are often part of interventions to help older people adhere to complicated medication regimes. Computer-generated (synthetic) speech is ideal for tailoring reminders to different medication regimes. Since synthetic speech may be less intelligible than human speech, in particular under difficult listening conditions, we assessed how well older people can recall synthetic speech reminders for medications. 44 participants aged 50-80 with no cognitive impairment recalled reminders for one or four medications after a short distraction. We varied background noise, speech quality, and message design. Reminders were presented using a human voice and two synthetic voices. Data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. Reminder recall was satisfactory if reminders were restricted to one familiar medication, regardless of the voice used. Repeating medication names supported recall of lists of medications. We conclude that spoken reminders should build on familiar information and be integrated with other adherence support measures. The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. 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