Hearing Loss - A Fact of Life for Many

Now the largest segment of American society, Baby Boomers, have endured, and are responsible for, a greater increase in noise pollution than any other generation. Prolonged or loud noise exposure seems to have overtaken age as the leading cause of hearing loss. It's not just the Baby Boomers though, as 1 in 14 Generation Xers (ages 29-40), that's 7.4%, already have a hearing loss.

Add to that the fact that Baby Boomers and Generation Xers will live longer than any previous generation, and you have the largest number of people ever to face this problem. In fact, about 40 percent of hearing-impaired Americans are under age 65.

Hearing is essential to fully enjoying and participating in life, but one in ten Americans, more than 31 million, experience some degree of hearing loss. That makes hearing loss our third most prevalent chronic health condition, after arthritis and high blood pressure.

How do you know whether you or someone you love might benefit from hearing aids?

• Family or friends often have to repeat what they say
• Frustration from not clearly understanding others
• Turns up volume of TV to a point where it disrupts others
• Difficulty following conversations in a noisy restaurant or crowded room
• Difficulty understanding speakers at meetings or religious services
• Embarrassment from being unable to hear when meeting new people

If you suspect that you or someone you love is experiencing hearing difficulty, Hearing Solutions of America is the right place to start. Our purpose is to answer your questions and provide the information necessary to make an informed decision about improving your hearing and, in turn, your quality of life.

Types of Hearing Loss

There are two major forms of hearing loss: conductive and sensorineural. Both of these have to do with a failure of sound along the path from the outer ear to the brain's hearing centers.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss is usually due to abnormalities of the middle or external ear that interfere with the transmission of sound from the outer to the inner ear. Common causes include middle ear infections, accumulation of ear wax in the external ear canal, collection of fluid in the middle ear, or performated ear drum. Conductive hearing loss usually involves a reduction in sound level, or the ability to hear faint sounds.

This type of hearing loss can often be medically or surgically corrected. If your hearing test suggests a conductive hearing loss we will refer you to a otolaryngologist (a physician that specializes in disorders of the ear, nose, and throat) for medical treatment.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is due to damage of the pathway that sound impulses take from the hair cells of the inner ear to the auditory nerve and brain. Sensorineural hearing loss can be caused by diseases, birth injury, drugs that are toxic to the auditory system, and genetic syndromes. Sensorineural hearing loss may also occur as a result of noise exposure, viruses, head trauma, aging, and tumors.

Sensorineural hearing loss not only involves a reduction in sound level, or ability to hear faint sounds, but also affects speech understanding, which is the ability to hear clearly. Sensorineural hearing loss accounts for over 90% of hearing loss in adults. This type of hearing loss cannot be medically or surgically corrected. It is a permanent loss. Hearing instruments can be used to amplify sounds at the frequencies where there is a loss.

Effects of Untreated Hearing Loss

For years we have known that aging and noise exposure take their toll on our ability to hear. This is true whether or not we use hearing aids.

However, research shows that the ability to make sense of what we hear deteriorates more rapidly if the hearing pathway is not stimulated. A decision to delay being fit with hearing aids will not necessarily cause hearing to become worse, but it may make it more difficult to adapt and benefit from hearing aids later on.

This is a very good reason for not waiting until hearing aids are absolutely needed. Unfortunately, we see too many people make the mistake of waiting to buy hearing aids because they feel their hearing “isn’t bad enough.” The experts at Hearing Solutions can help in making this decision.

Visit our Resources page for articles on the symptoms and effects of hearing loss, the benefits of buying two aids (binaural fit) over one, the types and styles of hearing aids, and much more. We also have instructional videos on what types of hearing aids are available, how to care for your hearing aids, and how to change your hearing aid batteries.

Benefits of Hearing Aids

Using a hearing aid presents a number of advantages to a hearing-impaired person. First and foremost, you will hear a lot better. Hearing aids do not restore your hearing to normal, but they improve it significantly. It becomes easier to hear what other people say. Sounds you have not heard for a long time such as birds singing, door bells ringing, the howling of the wind and water running, may become audible to you.

People who treated their hearing loss with hearing aids reported improvements in their relationships, self-confidence, independence, and overall quality of life. Their families also reported similar improvements. Better hearing means better living!

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