Know About Hearing Problem In The Old

Every 1 out of 3 Americans between the age of 65 to 75 and 1 out of 2 elders above 85 of age suffer from hearing loss; this is a cause of serious concern as if untreated it could become worse.

Elder’s hearing can affect make them miss on conversation between family and friends, telephone conversations and the doctor’s words in his office. It could also make them lonely, embarrassed and upset, with family and friends assuming that they are confused, uncaring or difficult. Hearing loss need not get in the way of elders enjoying life; they could consult a doctor for treatment.

It is significant to understand that loss of hearing could be due to various causes; it could be due to ear wax build-up, aging process, long exposure to loud sounds, viral or bacterial infections, stroke, certain heart conditions, tumors, head injuries, certain medicines and heredity.

A few indicators that signify hearing loss could be as under:

• The elder could have problem hearing over the telephone.

 

• He/she has difficulty in following a conversation when 2 or more people are talking.

• The elder requires a TV volume that is considered loud by others.

• Background sound makes it difficult to hear.  

• The elder senses that others seem to mumble.

• The elder can’t understand when women or children speak to him/her.

Once you experience difficulty of hearing, consult your doctor; he will refer you to an otolaryngologist or ENT specialist. He/she will do a thorough examination, including knowing whether it is in the family.  Then he will refer you to an audiologist to do additional tests to measure your hearing. An audiologist will test the elder’s ability to hear sounds of different pitch and loudness and suggest if a hearing aid is needed and the best one for his/her condition.

Different types of hearing loss: 

Presbycusis is an age-related hearing loss where elders find it difficult to hear what others say and to stand loud sounds. This decline is slow and develops at different rates; being caused by sensor neural hearing loss, it results from damage to parts of the inner ear, the auditory nerve, or hearing pathways in the brain. The degree of hearing loss could vary from person to person and also between each ear; it could also be caused by loud noise, heredity, head injury, infection, illness, certain prescription drugs, and circulation problems such as high blood pressure. 

Tinnitus, also due to aging makes the elder hear a ringing, roaring, or some other noise inside their ears. It could be caused by loud noise, hearing loss, certain medicines, and other health problems, such as allergies and problems in the heart and blood vessels. Wearing hearing aids or maskers as well as taking prescribed medicines could help. It would also help to avoid smoking, alcohol and loud sounds as well as listen to soothing music. 

It could also be conductive hearing loss when something likes ear wax buildup, fluid in the middle ear, abnormal bone growth, a punctured eardrum, or a middle ear infection blocks the sounds that are carried from the eardrum to the inner ear. Blockage by ear wax can be treated with mild treatments such as mineral oil, baby oil, glycerin, or commercial ear drops to soften ear wax; a hole in the eardrum requires consultation with the doctor. 

Hope you found this blog useful; I will soon come out with more information about hearing loss in elders.