Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is a sudden or gradual decrease in how well you can hear. For older adults, it is one of the most common conditions with 1 in 3 adults between the ages of 65-74 experiencing hearing loss. That statistic jumps to nearly 1 in 2 for adults older than 75.
There are two main types of hearing loss, conductive and sensorineural.
Conductive means a type of hearing loss is caused by any condition or disease that impedes sound from traveling through the middle ear cavity to reach the inner ear.
Sensorineural means when the nerves of the inner ear are degraded, the sound is unable to be transmitted to the brain, resulting in the hearing loss.
These types of hearing loss can pose many difficulties for older adults. It can make it hard for them to understand and follow a doctor’s advice, or hear doorbells and alarms. It can also be hard to enjoy talking with friends and family because the senior may feel embarrassed or frustrated. This can lead to depression or social withdrawal.
The type of hearing loss experienced determines what sorts of treatments are available. There are a variety of different symptoms that can arise with hearing loss, so it’s important to be aware of what to look out for. If your loved one shows any of these symptoms, make sure to consult a doctor.
There are many different reasons that adults will face hearing loss. While getting older, disease, and trauma are major causes, other reasons include:
Your doctor will most likely conduct hearing tests to diagnose any hearing loss. These exams include wearing headphones and identifying different tones by raising the correct hand when the patient identifies the tone. A doctor may also use an otoscope to identify any blockage in the ear canal.
If your doctor is unable to find another cause for your symptoms, they may diagnose you with age-related hearing loss. They also may refer you to a hearing specialist called an audiologist. The audiologist can perform further hearing loss tests to help determine how much hearing loss has occurred.
The most common and well-known treatment option for hearing loss is hearing aids. A hearing aid is a small device that is placed in an individual’s ear, which allows the sounds waves to move through a microphone mechanism before entering the ear, amplifying the sound waves. Hearing aids come in all shapes in sizes and are available in a wide range of prices. Typically, the individual using the hearing aid has the ability to control the volume of the device, turn it on and off, and more. While hearing aids are a primary option when it comes to hearing loss in older adults, it is difficult to fix the device if it is ever broken or stops working.
Another popular treatment option that often coincides with hearing aids is hearing loss counseling. Older individuals can choose to speak with a medical professional or another individual suffering from hearing loss to discuss the difficulties of being unable to hear properly. This counseling helps individuals continue to effectively communicate with people, despite their newly acquired disability. If a senior is considering this option, his or her physician will make helpful recommendations.
Hearing problems can be serious, and if left untreated, can get worse. If you think that you or your elder loved one may have a hearing problem, it is important to see your primary care physician, an audiologist, or a hearing aid specialist.