Senior Corner

10 SIGNS OF HEARING LOSS

These everyday warnings deserve your attention

by Ginny Graves, AARP,

Aging is hard on ears. Everything from loud concerts and sports stadium crowds to chemicals in cigarette smoke and cleaning agents can kill the thousands of tiny hair cells in your inner ear, which are responsible for transforming sound waves into nerve signals that the brain interprets as speech or music or an alarm clock.

“When you lose enough hair cells, it begins to affect your hearing,” says Sujana Chandrasekhar, M.D., a partner at ENT and Allergy Associates in New York and New Jersey. “For men, hearing loss often starts in the mid-50s. Women, whose hearing may get some protection from female hormones, are usually affected by their early to mid-60s.”

About half of people 75 and older have lost 35 decibels or more of hearing — the point at which a hearing aid is needed. But it can be tough to tell when someone’s hearing is starting to go, even (or especially) if that someone is you. Here are 10 key signs that it may be time to have your hearing evaluated. 1. You get irritated at others for mumbling. The first part of hearing to fade with age is the ability to discern high-frequency sounds. In speech, those are consonant sounds and digraphs, like “ch” and “sh”. “When you can hear vowels but not consonants, it sounds like people aren’t speaking clearly, so it’s easy to blame them,” says Chandrasekhar.

For example: If someone says, “The elephant has a long trunk that can be used to grab trees,” a person with hearing loss might hear something more like this: “__e ele__a__ _a_ a long _run_ tha_ _an be us__ _o grab _ree_”. No wonder it sounds like people are mumbling! 2. You’re having trouble following conversations. Even without consonants we pick up lots of cues about speech from the context, facial expressions and lip reading. But you’ll start making errors. Chandrasekhar says, “With everyone wearing masks this year, it’s become even harder for people who are starting to lose their hearing to bluff their way through conversations.” 3. Talking on the phone is more challenging. “Usually, sound is going in both ears, but when you’re talking on the phone it’s only going in one, which makes it more difficult — especially if you hold the phone to the ear that has more hearing loss,” says Alison Grimes, director of audiology at UCLA Health in Los Angeles. On top of that, phones don’t perfectly transmit speech sounds, which compounds hearing issues, she says. 4. Some sounds seem louder than normal. Feel like you’re easily startled by loud noises? Blame it on a phenomenon called “recruitment,” which is common in people with hearing loss, says Grimes. It happens because you don’t lose all the hair cells in your ear at the same time. When a sound is on the louder side it triggers the healthy cells to respond more forcefully than they typically would — so louder sounds can be more jarring, or even sound distorted. 5. It’s harder to carry on a

conversation in a crowded room.

Background noise is difficult for everyone, even those with typical hearing, says Angela Shoup, a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and chief of the Division of Communicative and Vestibular Disorders at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “One skill we use to ignore background noise is to screen out a certain type of noise, like traffic, which is lowpitched,” she explains. But at a party or restaurant, the competing sounds are human voices nearby — and ignoring other voices to focus on one is more difficult when you’re losing your hearing. 6. Everyone is telling you to turn down the TV. You might not even realize you have been clicking up the volume button until someone points it out. But if the sound is so loud you need to turn it down to hear someone saying, “Turn down the TV,” it’s a sign something could be wrong with your hearing. 7. You feel like you’re getting clumsier. The inner ear, where hearing occurs, is like a house with two rooms. Your hearing mechanism, or cochlea, is in one room, and your balance mechanism, the semicircular canals, is in the other — and they’re connected by fluid-filled space. So, one affects the other. Plus, we use auditory cues to know where we are in space, says Chandrasekhar: “When you put hearing aids on people with hearing loss, their sense of balance and ability to sense where they are in space improves immensely.” 8. You don’t remember things people tell you. “It’s difficult to remember things you don’t hear clearly,” says Shoup. And when you’re struggling to understand what someone is saying, it taxes your short-term memory. Just think about the sentence above about the elephant’s trunk. “Our minds clump information together to make it easier to remember,” Shoup explains. “But people with hearing loss miss lots of sounds, so they have to hold all these random bits and pieces in their short-term memory until they can fill in the blanks to make sense of a sentence.” Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. 9. You don’t get jokes like you used to. “The punchline is often told in a funny way or it’s a play on words, and if you can’t decipher all the words, you don’t get the joke,” says Chandrasekhar. 10. You get distracted more easily. “It takes a significant amount of energy and concentration to decode a message that is missing numerous elements, which is what speech sounds like to someone with hearing difficulties,” says Shoup, “so it’s harder to focus and sustain attention during a conversation. www.aarp.org

BARNEGAT HISTORY Continued from page 7

the Village of Barnegat was known round the world.

During this era Barnegat was the most popular place for people from surrounding communities to shop. Barnegat bustled with grocery stores, a bank, a dry good’s store, a butcher, a shoemaker, a bakery, blacksmiths, two doctors, a lumberyard and a coal yard. Automobiles were seldom seen in the area and the most common mode of travel was either by horse and buggy or train. Two main railroads had depots in Barnegat; the Tuckerton RR Station (also known as the Pennsylvania RR Depot) located on the east side of Memorial Drive, and the Central RR of New Jersey Depot located on the north side of West Bay Avenue.

Barnegat Glass Co. was built around 1896 and closed it’s doors in 1914. Many new families came into Barnegat to work in this factory. Products made in the Glass Works are now considered collectibles.

The first Telephone Exchange was brought in by Mr. Byron M. Eno in the early 1900’s. Elizabeth Clayton, who later married Captain Ed Ridgway was one of the earliest operators.

In 1908 Barnegat welcomed a central water system, Barnegat Water Co., owned by Luther Cox, who , along with his wife Mary Ann also owned the Times Beacon Newspaper. Luther was the son of Capt. “Billy” and Marietta Cox, who built the Cox House which stands at the corner of Rt.9 North and Bay Avenue. The Cox House was the first house in Barnegat to have electricity and running water. Currently the historic Cox House is the meeting place for community organizations and hosts many special events throughout the year.

In 1910 John Charles began a Silkworm Industry. In this same year the first Post Office was built on the north side of West Bay Avenue. This later became the Barnegat Municipal Building , then a police station, the library and now houses The Alliance for the Arts. Barnegat was also home to another unusual business adventure during this period – George Ridgway’s “mink farm.”

There was no radio or television in those early days – entertainment was provided by local talent that put on plays, and by traveling vaudeville and minstrel shows which made yearly visits to the Barnegat Opera House. This building was located on Rt. 9 north in the vicinity of the present day liquor store. Movies came to Barnegat somewhere between 1915-1920. They were first shown in the Opera House which was later converted to the Park Theatre.

The present day municipality of Barnegat is located in the southern half of Ocean County, New Jersey, and covers an area of approximately 35 square miles. Barnegat is 60 miles east of Philadelphia and 90 miles south of New York City. It is bordered on the east by Barnegat Bay and separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the barrier island of Long Beach. Woodland Township is on the western border, Stafford Township is the southern border and the northern border is shared by both Lacey and Ocean Townships. As the Mate of the Half Moon wrote in his journal “….this is a very good land to fall in with and a pleasant land to see!” www.barnegat.net

HOW EXERCISE IMPACTS PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of the brain that affects about 1.2 million people in the United States, with about 60,000 new patients diagnosed every year.

The rate of progression of the disease in each individual is variable in intensity and severity. Parkinson’s disease generally is described as progressing through five stages that consider posture and functional ability. But over the years, Parkinson’s disease can lead to various motor and non-motor symptoms that may include: • Impairment in walking and balance • Postural instability • Freezing of gait (FOG) • Diminished vocal quality • Trouble swallowing • Difficulties with activities of daily living • Sudden blood pressure changes when standing up • Constipation • Depression or anxiety • Psychosis • Difficulties maintaining sleep • Cognitive or intellectual decline

Medications are effective at managing some of the symptoms, but there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease. One of the most widely studied and effective treatments is a regimen of vigorous exercise, says Roger Rossi, D.O., the director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Program at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute.

How Exercise Helps Parkinson’s Patients

A regimen of intense exercise has been shown to be very beneficial, positively influencing many aspects of the disease. Studies have shown that various forms of exercise may reduce falls and associated injuries/fractures, slow the progression of the disease and even delay the onset of symptoms. Exercise may also positively affect various non-motor aspects of the disease including depression, anxiety and sleep. “Exercise has been shown to affect the brain,” Dr. Rossi says. “You’re exercising the brain in addition to the muscular and skeletal systems.”

He adds, “In the brain, exercise causes the release of various neurotrophic factors— basically, these are molecules that support the growth, survival and differentiation of both developing and mature neurons, so they enhance the brain’s development and functioning potential.” This allows the brain to protect and nurture neurons that counter or slow the decline of motor and cognitive function.

Intense exercise is defined as elevating the heart rate, commonly between 60 percent and 80 percent of an individual’s maximum heart rate. So doing intense exercise doesn’t necessarily suggest excessive endeavors and can be achievable for all, he says.

Which Exercises Help?

The first evidence-based exercise research and commonly referred to study that showed benefits for Parkinson’s patients was Argentinian tango and dance.

More commonly understood exercises for individuals with Parkinson’s disease include those that strengthen bones and muscles, Dr. Rossi says. These types of exercises can correct some of the physical impacts of the disease, such as overall weakness, fatigue, balance, dexterity and posture. In addition to skilled therapies, community-based activities such as Pilates and yoga, as well as structural integration techniques are good for overall strength, balance and core stability. Often these activities are done in a social setting, so in addition to physical benefits, they offer psychosocial and cognitive well-being that can diminish depression and anxiety.

“There are many types of exercise, and the challenge remains identifying the specific exercise type best suited for each individual as well as duration and intensity.” Dr. Rossi says. “You have to identify what each individual patient needs based on their symptoms, physical exam and importantly their individual goals. We want them to be able to enjoy these activities so it is sustainable and most effective.” www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org

HOW SENIORS CAN INCREASE HIP STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY

Having strength and flexibility in our hips is important for us all, but as we age, it becomes even more so. A lack of strength can increase the risk of falling and cause a hip fracture, which is a serious concern for seniors, as well as make day-to-day activities more challenging.

As we get older, our bones become weaker. That’s a normal part of aging. But it means that a senior can more easily break a bone than somebody who is younger. Considering that hip fractures are a big cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults, that’s not good news.

The good news is that you can improve strength and flexibility in your hips, core and legs, which can help protect you from falls and fractures, or increase the likelihood of regaining as much mobility as possible if you do break your hip.

Stretch and Strengthen

Both stretching and strengthening exercises are important. Stretching your muscles helps improve your range of motion and prevent injury. Strengthening exercises help keep your hip joint stable, which can relieve pain and prevent injury.

The sequence that the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends: 1. Spend five minutes warming up with a low-impact activity like walking. 2. Next, do your stretching exercises. 3. Follow up with strengthening exercises. 4, Finish with stretching exercises again.

“Do this every day. Make it part of your routine: Wake up in the morning, have your coffee and then do your exercises,” says Stephen Rossman, D.O., orthopedic surgeon at Hackensack University Medical Center and Palisades Medical Center.

As well, add in more low-impact activities to your day. Walking, riding a stationary bike or swimming are easy on the joints, safe and very effective in increasing strength and flexibility. “Something as simple as going on a daily walk for 20-30 minutes can help maintain cardiovascular and muscular health,” Dr. Rossman says.

Sample Exercises

Stretching: Simple leg lift 1. Lie on the floor with both of your knees bent. 2. Lift one leg off the floor, bending your knee and bringing it toward your chest. 3. Straighten that leg and gently pull it toward your head until you feel tension behind your leg. 4. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds. 5. Relax for another 30 seconds before repeating this exercise with your other leg. 6. Repeat four times.

Strengthening: Lying hip abduction 1. Lie on the floor on your side with your top leg straight and your bottom leg bent. 2. Slowly raise your top leg to 45 degrees. 3. Keep your leg in this position for five seconds. 4. Slowly lower your leg and relax it for a couple of seconds. 5. Repeat eight times, then change sides to strengthen the other leg.

Don’t Ignore Pain

There are times when a visit to your doctor or orthopedic hip surgeon may be warranted. If you experience pain, don’t ignore it.

Common types of pain related to the hips are: • Groin pain, which can be sign of arthritis in the hip • Pain along the bone on the side of the hip • Pain down the leg, which may be a sign of sciatic or nerve compression originating from the back

Most pain does not require surgery; many causes of pain can be treated with stretching and strengthening exercises. But if you have pain that doesn’t go away, it’s important for it to be investigated by a medical professional. “These should be the most enjoyable times of your life, and you should not have to live in pain,” says Dr. Rossman. www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org