Effects of HEARING LOSS on a patient's life
 Aging also brings cognitive processing deficits that interfere with communication and can create distractions that lead to memory loss, falls and other accidents. 
Memory and Hearing Loss 

• Adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop problems thinking and remembering than adults with normal hearing. Degraded hearing may force the brain to devote too much of its energy to processing sound. 
• Adults with hearing loss develop a significant impairment in their cognitive abilities. 3.2 years sooner than those with normal hearing. 
• Those with hearing loss experience a 30 to 40 percent greater decline in thinking abilities compared to their counterparts without hearing loss. 

Dementia and hearing loss

• Seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing.
• Adults with mild hearing loss are two times more likely to develop dementia. 
• Adults with moderate hearing loss are three times more likely to develop dementia. 
• Adults with severe hearing loss are five times more likely to develop dementia. 

Falling and Hearing Loss

• People with mild hearing loss (25 decibels) are three times more likely to have a history of falling. Every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss increases the chances of falling 1.4 times the original risk. 

Mental Health and Hearing Loss

• Hearing loss results in social isolation. Adults with untreated hearing loss tend to withdraw from engaging with family and friends. 
• Adults, 50 and older, with untreated hearing loss are more likely to report depression, anxiety, anger, and frustration, emotional instability and paranoia, and are less likely to participate in social activities than those who wear hearing aids. 
• The degree of depression and other emotional or mental health issues also increases with the severity of hearing loss. 

Tinnitus and Hearing Loss

• 90% of people with Tinnitus also have hearing loss. 
• The most common causes of tinnitus are: noise exposure, aging, head injury and medication side effects. Tinnitus affects up to 50 million Americans. 

Income and Hearing Loss

• There is a $14,100 income difference between adults with mild and severe hearing loss. People with untreated hearing loss lose up to $30,000 annually. 
• Hearing aids alleviate the impact of income loss by 90 to 100 percent for those with mild hearing loss and from 65 to 77 percent for those with severe to moderate hearing loss. 
• Adults with hearing loss, who wear hearing aids, have lower unemployment rate than their peers with hearing loss, who do not wear hearing aids. 

-Starkey Publication 2014

Tips for People with Hearing Loss When communicating with People Who Are Hearing. 
Rule 

• Communication is a two-way street. 
• People with hearing loss must make as much effort as hearing people. 

Set Your Stage 

• Tell others how best to talk to you. 
• Pick your best spot (light, quiet, proximity). 
• Anticipate difficult situations; plan how to minimize them. 

Project your communication 

• Pay attention. 
• Concentrate on speaker. 
• Look for visual clues. 
• Ask for written clues if needed. 
• Don't interrupt speaker. 
• Let conservation flow a little to gain more meaning. 

Establish Empathy with Audience 

• React. 
• Let speakers know how well they are doing. 
• Don't bluff. 
• Admit it when you don't understand. 
• If unable to concentrate , ask to discuss later. 

The only way to know for sure is to get your hearing checked. Other people sometimes suspect we have a hearing loss before we do ourselves, so if someone mentions they have noticed you have trouble hearing them, take them seriously and get a hearing test. There are many factors that determine how we hear in various situations: the pitch of the speaker's voice, whether or not we can see the speaker's face, the presence of the background noise, the acoustics of the room, how far we are from the speaker, whether we are stressed or tired, the lighting and the seating arrangement are all things that can impact how well we hear. But despite acknowledging that some or all of these apply, we might still hear better at some times more than others, which might prevent us from seeing the need to get our hearing checked. Don't let it stop you; having trouble hearing in even one of these scenarios could indicate a hearing loss.  

​

Jennifer attended the 2019 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention in Orlando, FL November 21st – 23rd. Of particular interest, were seminars on developing legislation expanding access to and coverage of audiology services under Medicare, bone anchored hearing aids and tinnitus research.   

​