11 minute read
Hearing Loss and Older Adults
HEALTH & WELLNESS
What is hearing loss?
Hearing loss is a sudden or gradual decrease in how well you can hear. It is one of the most common conditions affecting older and elderly adults. Approximately one in three people between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing. Having trouble hearing can make it hard to understand and follow a doctor’s advice, to respond to warnings, and to hear doorbells and alarms. It can also make it hard to enjoy talking with friends and family. All of this can be frustrating, embarrassing, and even dangerous.
Do I have a hearing problem?
Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer “yes” to three or more of these questions, you could have a hearing problem and may need to have your hearing checked by a doctor. 1. Do you sometimes feel embarrassed when you meet new people because you struggle to hear? 2. Do you feel frustrated when talking to members of your family because you have difficulty hearing them? 3. Do you have difficulty hearing when someone speaks in a whisper? 4. Do you feel restricted or limited by a hearing problem? 5. Do you have difficulty hearing when visiting friends, relatives, or neighbors? 6. Does a hearing problem cause you to attend religious services less often than you would like? 7. Does a hearing problem cause you to argue with family members? 8. Do you have trouble hearing the TV or radio at levels that are loud enough for others? 9. Do you feel difficulty with your hearing limits your personal or social life? 10.Do you have trouble hearing family or friends when you are together in a restaurant?
What should I do if I have trouble hearing?
Hearing problems can be serious. The most important thing you can do if you think you have a hearing problem is to seek professional advice. There are several ways to do this. You can start with your primary care physician, an otolaryngologist, an audiologist, or a hearing aid specialist. Each has a different type of training and expertise. Each can be an important part of your hearing health care. An otolaryngologist is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases of the ear, nose, and throat. An otolaryngologist will try to find out why you’re having trouble hearing and offer treatment options. He or she may also refer you to another hearing professional, an audiologist. An audiologist has specialized training in identifying and measuring the type and degree of hearing loss and recommending treatment options. Audiologists also may be licensed to fit hearing aids. Another source of hearing aids is a hearing aid specialist, who is licensed by a state to conduct and evaluate basic hearing tests, offer counseling, and fit and test hearing aids.
Why am I losing my hearing?
Hearing loss happens for different reasons. Many people lose their hearing slowly as they age. This condition is known as presbycusis. Doctors do not know why presbycusis affects some people more than others, but it seems to run in families. Another reason for hearing loss with aging may be years of exposure to loud noise. This condition is known as noise-induced hearing loss. Many construction workers, farmers, musicians, airport workers, yard and tree care workers, and people in the armed forces have hearing problems even in their younger and middle years because of too much exposure to loud noise. Hearing loss can also be caused by viral or bacterial infections, heart conditions or stroke, head injuries, tumors, and certain medicines.
What treatments and devices can help?
Your treatment will depend on your hearing loss, so some treatments will work better for you than others. There are a number of devices and aids that can improve hearing loss. Here are the most common ones:
Hearing aids are electronic instruments you wear in or behind your ear. They make sounds louder. Things sound different when you wear a hearing aid, but an audiologist or hearing aid specialist can help you get used to it. To find the hearing aid that works best for you, you may have to try more than one. Ask your audiologist or hearing specialist whether you can have a trial period with a few different hearing aids. Both of you can work together until you are comfortable.
Cochlear implants are small electronic devices surgically implanted in the inner ear that help provide a sense of sound to people who are profoundly deaf or hardof-hearing. If your hearing loss is severe, your doctor may recommend a cochlear implant in one ear or both. Assistive listening devices include telephone and cell phone amplifying devices, smart phone or tablet apps, and closed circuit systems (induction coil loops) in places of worship, theaters, and auditoriums.
Lip reading or speech reading is another option that helps people with hearing problems follow conversational speech. People who use this method pay close attention to others when they talk, by watching how the speaker’s mouth and body move.
Can my friends and family help me?
Yes. You and your family can work together to make hearing easier. Here are some things you can do: Tell your friends and family about your hearing loss. They need to know that hearing is hard for you. The more you tell the people you spend time with, the more they can help you.
Ask your friends and family to face you when they talk so that
you can see their faces. If you watch their faces move and see their expressions, it may help you to understand them better. Ask people to speak louder, but not shout. Tell them they do not have to talk slowly, just more clearly.
Turn off the TV or the radio if you aren’t actively listening to it. Be aware of noise around you that can make hearing more
difficult. When you go to a restaurant, do not sit near the kitchen or near a band playing music. Background noise makes it hard to hear people talk.
Working together to hear better may be tough on everyone for
a while. It will take time for you to get used to watching people as they talk and for people to get used to speaking louder and more clearly. Be patient and continue to work together. Hearing better is worth the effort.
Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health. Read more at nidcd.nih.gov.
Hearing Aids
In 2022, the FDA issued a final rule that establishes a new category of hearing aids: Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids. This ruling is intended to reduce the financial burden of prescription hearing aids and to make hearing technology more accessible to consumers.
OTC hearing aids are for adult patients with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. They are currently available or will soon be available in a variety of retail markets. Even though OTC hearing aids are available, there are some reasons they may not be the best choice for every individual. An OTC hearing aid is not an appropriate option for individuals with hearing thresholds beyond the mild to moderate hearing loss range. It is strongly recommended that any individual considering a purchase of OTC hearing aids have their hearing tested by an audiologist first in order to determine if their hearing levels are appropriate for OTC devices. Perceived hearing difficulties may be a sign of a temporary hearing issue like occluding wax in the ears, which can be removed by an audiologist. Additionally, OTC hearing aids are not appropriate solutions for those with a perceived difference in hearing between the right and left ears, a sudden change or worsening in hearing, ringing or roaring in one or both ears (tinnitus), dizziness or vertigo, or pain and/or drainage from the ears. Hearing aids are medical devices. Treatment may be appropriate and cost effective with OTC hearing aids, but without evaluation by a hearing health care professional, it could also cause a person to miss out on proper hearing care. Audiologists can evaluate and diagnose the cause and degree of a person’s hearing loss. In addition, audiologists can appropriately and safely select, carefully fit, and tune hearing aids to best meet an individual’s listening goals. The involvement of a hearing health care professional allows for routine follow-up care and troubleshooting to ensure individual satisfaction and proper function over time. The Delaware Speech and Hearing Center encourages all consumers to educate themselves, contemplate whether OTC hearing aids will fully address their needs, and consider scheduling a full hearing evaluation before moving forward with treatment of their hearing needs. Call 740-369-3650 or email contact@delawareshc.org for more information or to schedule a hearing consultation.
Exercise
From page 1
Exercise bolsters immunity
In a study of adults ages 55-79 with longstanding exercise routines, researchers at the U.K.’s King’s College London and University of Birmingham found they had the immune systems of much younger adults. All the participants were recreational cyclists. “An organ called the thymus, which makes immune cells called T cells, starts to shrink from the age of 20 and makes less T cells. In this study, however, the cyclists’ thymuses were making as many T cells as those of a younger person,” a University of Birmingham media release reports. Studies show that aging can diminish the body’s immune response, making older adults more vulnerable to respiratory infections and other diseases. So, for these cyclists and others who engage in high-intensity workouts, this is hopeful aging and exercise news.
Exercise slows ‘biological clock’
After examining data from more than 5,800 adults ages 20-84, a Brigham Young University exercise science professor discovered that adults who ran a minimum of 30-40 minutes, five days a week, had an almost nine-year “biological aging advantage.” That advantage is tied to something called telomeres. “Telomeres are the nucleotide endcaps of our chromosomes,” explains a BYU news report on Professor Larry Tucker’s research. “They’re like our biological clock and they’re extremely correlated with age; each time a cell replicates, we lose a tiny bit of the endcaps. Therefore, the older we get, the shorter our telomeres.”
The high-octane exercisers had “significantly longer” telomeres than sedentary adults, conferring that almost nine-year biologic advantage. They had a seven-year advantage over adults who were moderately active. “We know that regular physical activity helps to reduce mortality and prolong life, and now we know part of that advantage may be due to the preservation of telomeres,” says Tucker, whose research was published in Preventive Medicine.
Exercise keeps brains young
“Better mood, better energy, better memory, better attention.” That’s what neuroscientist and author Wendy Suzuki experienced after becoming a regular at the gym. In her TEDWomen talk, The Brain-Changing Benefits of Exercise, Suzuki calls exercise “the most transformative thing you can do for your brain today.” But what about aging? Can exercise delay aging in the brain? Research suggests not only that it can, but that moderate to intense exercise may slow aging by 10 years. A study of 876 people with an average age of 71 showed that over time, participants who exercised minimally, or not at all, experienced a greater mental decline than those who engaged in moderate or intense workouts. The American Academy of Neurology writes: “When looking at people who had no signs of memory and thinking problems at the start of the study, researchers found that those reporting low activity levels showed a greater decline over five years compared to those with high activity levels on tests of how fast they could perform simple tasks and how many words they could remember from a list. The difference was equal to that of 10 years of aging.”
How to enjoy (and reap) the benefits of exercise while aging
While much of the research into aging and exercise focuses on adults with long-term fitness habits, experts say it’s never too late to reap the benefits of physical fitness. “Aging is a physiological process that can be influenced for the better (delaying it) or worse (accelerating it),” write the authors of the research study Anti-Aging Through Fitness Enhancement. “The most recent scientific evidence shows that regularly and appropriately practiced physical exercise, in order to improve physical fitness, is currently the best way to delay or even prevent the consequences of aging. Such exercise always brings benefits, irrespective of the age, sex, health, or the physical condition of the person who undertakes it.” What is the best exercise for aging? Want to learn more about exercise for older adults? Check out The Life-Changing Benefits of Exercise After 60 article at ncoa.org to learn about recommended workouts and evidence-based exercise programs that are suited to all ability levels. If you’re just starting a fitness routine, or thinking about taking your workouts in a new direction, be sure to talk with your doctor about what’s appropriate for you. You can also find exercise tips and helpful information on maximizing your physical and mental health at ncoa.org/older-adults/health. Source: National Council on Aging. Read more at ncoa.org.