If you suspect you or a loved one is showing signs of hearing loss, you aren’t alone. It’s also not unusual to wait before seeing a doctor; many people have done this too.
There are various reasons for hearing loss. Some forms come on gradually (with aging) and other forms come on more sudden (trauma or injury). Hearing loss can be permanent or transient and can be mild (finding it hard to understand conversation) or more severe (total deafness). It can also occur on one ear or both.
Around a third of Americans who are between the ages of 65 and 74 with a half over the age of 75 have loss of hearing. It is a commonplace chronic health condition older adults face.
Sadly, out of these people, only 20 percent will actually seek help that could benefit them. This is unfortunate since there are many hearing loss enhancement options.
In some cases, hearing problems can be embarrassing and can leave you or your loved one lonely and upset. When people have hearing loss, it can be too easy to withdraw from conversation when they can’t follow it. When friends or loved ones don’t realize there is a hearing loss problem, they might just think you are uncaring, confused or difficult.
Early Indications of Hearing Loss
Warning signs of hearing loss can emerge slowly and can be subtle. They also can come on suddenly and be significant, therefore it’s a good idea to know these signs so you can seek treatment early and hopefully avoid any permanent damage.
You or a loved one might be experiencing hearing loss if you are they:
- Need people to repeat themselves frequently.
- Find it difficult to follow a conversation that involves over 2 people.
- Think others mumble.
- Find it difficult to hear in situations that are noisy.
- Have trouble hearing children and women.
- It runs in the family.
- Are informed that others complaining that they have the radio or TV volume up too high.
- Have diabetes, thyroid, heart or circulation problems.
- Have been exposed to explosive noise or loud noise over a long time period.
Your or your loved one’s quality of life can be improved significantly with treatment. There are options for hearing enhancement, including hearing aids. If your inner ear has damage which led to hearing loss, a hearing aid can make sounds stronger and simpler to hear. You or your loved one with hearing loss can speak to an audiologist to go over the benefits of hearing aids and which ones are best. Hearing loss should not be ignored and by getting checked out and receiving treatment, you can get back to a normal life.