Hearing loss is a common occurrence among seniors, and it affects close to 360 million people globally. Seniors face this challenge more often, and it is something that is mostly downplayed by society. Hearing loss can be a burden and frustrate someone and ultimately affect their quality of life in several unexpected ways. The amount of effort and concentration one puts to follow conversations when they face hearing loss problems can be very exhausting.
However, this is something that can one can fix through the use of hearing aids. The Hearing Loss Association of America indicates that around 20% of Americans experience hearing loss. Equally, around 40% of seniors aged 50 years and above experience hearing loss with the issue even worse when they reach 65 years. The good news, however, is that technological advancements are making it possible for people experiencing hearing loss to get devices that can help improve their hearing.
What causes hearing loss?
Because hearing problems can affect anyone, it is important to have regular hearing loss check-ups. The check aims to ascertain what is causing the loss in hearing and to what extent the problem is affecting someone. Similarly, it can help determine the missing frequencies, which will help in determining the type of aid you need.
Aging is the common cause of hearing loss, but prolonged exposure to a lot of noise like in a factory can result in hearing loss. This occurs when the hairs in the ear are damaged with time, and they eventually cease functioning, thus leaving the ear unable to pick sound waves. Similarly, malformation, damage, or problems with the eardrum, middle ear, ear canal, and nerve damage can result in hearing loss.
How hearing aids help improve hearing loss
With seniors having hearing problems having hearing aids can help improve their hearing, but they don’t cure the problem. They only improve one’s hearing, especially if the problem cannot be treated medically or surgically. The process of hearing is complex, and it involves connections to the brain which receive and decodes the sounds to what we can comprehend.
Hearing aids help in boosting hearing, making it possible for the brain to register sounds. However, adjusting to the amplification of sound takes time, patience, and endurance. The process means that you have to retrain the brain to register sound and focus on filtering others so that you can hear well.
Discrete hearing aids
Thanks to technology, hearing aids have improved, and they are in designs that, when one puts it on, they look cool more like a secret agent. Technology has enabled the development of discrete hearing aids that perfectly fit in the ear and are almost invisible. Most interestingly, some can connect top apps on a smartphone with others having waterproof features so that you can get to enjoy your hearing uninterrupted.
The most common hearing aid type is a BTE (behind the ear) that comprises two separate pieces, which is the hard plastic case that has the microphone, loudspeaker, and amplifiers that is connected to an ear mold connecting the ear canal. The aids are either analog or digital, with digital aid having the capability of isolating unwanted frequencies or sound, thus making them more effective. With these hearing aids, seniors do not have to worry about missing family and friends’ conversations. Hearing loss can be depressing, and therefore, it is important to get a check-up as faster as possible so that you can get a hearing aid to help you live a normal life. The best part is that the aids are very affordable.