Keeping Your Hearing Sharp as You Age

Hearing loss is the third most common chronic condition affecting older adults today. Unfortunately many people delay seeking help for hearing problems because of the negative stigma associated with losing their hearing. What they may not realize is that if left untreated, hearing loss can cause an emotional and social toll by lessening the ability to communicate and function. Early treatment has extensive advantages and can have a significant impact on your quality of life and independence.
What causes age-related hearing loss?
Changes in the inner ear that occur as you age
Family history
Repeated exposure to loud noises
Smoking
Medical conditions such as diabetes
Certain medicines
How to avoid worsening
age-related hearing loss:
• Avoid excessive noise and limit exposure to loud sounds – If you have to shout over surrounding noise, it’s loud enough to damage your hearing.
• Don’t smoke and avoid secondhand smoke – Tobacco smoke has been linked to increase risk of hearing loss.
• Remove earwax properly – Wax build up in your ears can muffle sound. Always consult with a physician regarding earwax removal as cotton swabs can actually push wax even deeper into your canal.
• Check medications for hearing risks – Over 200 medications are potentially damaging to hearing. If you take a prescription medication, check with your doctor to make sure it doesn’t pose a threat to your hearing.
• Have your hearing tested – If your family has a history of hearing loss, you have trouble hearing conversations, are exposed to loud noises on a regular basis, or experience frequent ringing sound in your ears, talk to a nurse in your community to help schedule an appointment.
• Treatment/devices for age-related hearing loss:
Hearing aids are electronic instruments you wear behind your ear.
Cochlear implants are small electronic devices surgically implanted in the inner ear.
Bone anchored hearing systems are designed to use your body’s natural ability to transfer sound through bone conduction.
Assistive listening devices assist with volume, such as telephone and cell phone amplifying devices.
Lip reading or speech reading helps people with hearing problems follow conversational speech.
Hearing loss most often gets worse slowly, but if you seek help early on, it can be managed so that you can continue to live a full and independent life.
For more information about senior health and wellness, contact Cynthia Drachenberg, Executive Director at Summerhill Villa 661-254-9933.