Common Causes Of Hearing Impairment In Seniors

Hearing loss is a natural consequence of aging, with 25% of the elders above 60 and 50% of the elders above the age of 70 having measurable hearing loss. It would be apt now to study the common causes of hearing loss and how to prevent them.

The 2 main types of hearing loss are conductive, and sensor neural.

Conductive hearing loss occurs due to the obstruction in the transmission of sound between the outer ear and inner ear caused by wax or any other substance. Ear wax or cerumen that traps dust and dirt from damaging the ear is produced by the glands of the ear canal. Conductive hearing loss is generally temporary and can be easily remedied by flushing the ear canal with warm water.

Next conductive hearing loss is also caused by certain infections in the ear canal that causes the ear drum to become red and swollen, with fluid and blocks the ear canal. Elders with this hearing loss may complain of their own voice sounds being louder, while others are muffled. This hearing loss can be corrected by medicine or surgery; when neither work hearing aids are prescribed to amplify the sound. 

A person with sensor neural hearing loss may have a loss of hearing due to damage of the hair cells of the cochlea in the inner ear; it could be caused by long term noise exposure, diseases causing ear infection, head trauma, tumors and diseases like multiple sclerosis. It could also be due chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, diuretics, and pain killers in extremely large quantities.

A person with sensor neural hearing loss may have a loss of hearing in only part of the sound spectrum, with most elders having hearing loss in high frequencies. Modern digital hearing aids would be highly beneficial in amplifying just the parts of the sound spectrum that have been lost, while filtering out background noise.

An audiologist will measure your ability to hear various frequencies at various intensities and prescribe hearing aids. Also the family members may be trained to recognize which sound environments may cause difficulty and the home acoustics can be changed to eliminate problems such as echoes.

Hearing loss in elders can be prevented by: 

 
a) Avoid noisy environments while working; it is best to not overlook the noises that we have worked in our lifetime. Wear ear protectors while cutting the lawn and tune down the volume of the personal music system while listening to music.

b) Prevention of hearing loss can be best done by maintaining good health; this includes healthy eating habits and a regular exercise regimen. It is also necessary to have regular medical check-ups to curb heath problems in the bud from causing long term damage.

c) If you have a history of hearing loss in the family, it would be advisable to schedule regular annual examinations to monitor your hearing.

Lastly, prevention of situations that could cause hearing loss is prescribed from a very young age. Best wishes for a sound hearing in old age!

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