To add on to our previous post about Better Hearing & Speech Month Your Goodyear audiologist believes that a key component in spreading the word about hearing loss is through education. This can be done by talking to some of the 48 million people in Goodyear and around the country with hearing loss, speaking to your audiologist or even connecting with others online.
In order to have an informative conversation, it helps to have some facts to back you up.
Below are some of the most interesting facts about hearing loss.
Hearing Loss and Age
- Hearing loss isn’t confined to older individuals; it affects people of all ages. Only about one-third of hearing loss patients are older than 65.
- Hearing loss affects people equally, regardless of race, sex, income or social status. What do Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Beethoven, Whoopi Goldberg, Pete Townshend, Huey Lewis, Ed McMahon, Buzz Aldrin and Arnold Palmer have in common? They all wear (or wore) hearing aids.
Hearing Loss Symptoms and Causes
- Not everybody who suffers from hearing loss is aware of their condition. Hearing loss develops gradually, and changes to hearing are often so subtle they may go unnoticed for some time.
- The most common cause of hearing loss is noise exposure. While 85 decibels (dB) is considered the safety threshold, exposure to even moderately loud noises can cause permanent hearing damage.
- Hearing loss cannot be reversed – but it is preventable in some situations. Wearing hearing protection (earplugs or ear muffs) is an effective method of warding off noise-induced hearing loss.
Hearing Aids
- The stigma associated with wearing hearing aids has long disappeared. Today’s digital devices are small, sleek, comfortable and discreet. If you are concerned with other peoples’ perceptions, you can opt for styles that are worn in the ear canal, making them virtually invisible.
- Hearing aids are not a cure for hearing loss, but they do help many hearing-impaired individuals communicate more effectively. They work by amplifying sound vibrations that enter the ear. It is estimated that 95 percent of those suffering from hearing loss benefit from hearing aids – although only one out of five people with hearing loss seeks treatment.
- Despite the fact that hearing aids are sophisticated devices utilizing state-of-the-art technology, they are not complicated to use. Today’s instruments are programmed to your own unique lifestyle needs and preferences, and most automatically adjust to different listening environments. Features like Bluetooth® compatibility enable them to wirelessly connect to a variety of communication devices for improved versatility and convenience.
- Two hearing aids are better than one. Wearing two hearing aids makes sense, given the fact that we have two ears. This gives us directional hearing, enabling us to localize the source of a sound; as a result, we can hear better in noisy environments. Most types of hearing loss affect both ears anyway. Ninety percent of hearing loss patients benefit from wearing two hearing aids.
To learn more about hearing loss, contact your Goodyear audiologist today.
