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When we talk about treating hearing loss what we are really talking about is reconnecting. Sometimes, as is often the case with advanced or untreated hearing loss, it’s really about reconnecting with ourselves and getting back to who we used to be.
Acknowledging this crucial fact, Connecting People is the theme of this year’s Better Hearing and Speech Month, an initiative of the American Speech-Hearing-Language Association (ASHA). Each year, they launch a campaign to bring awareness to the particular issues surrounding communications disorders and the ways intervention improves lives. ASHA counts experts such as audiologists, speech-language pathologists, communications scientists, and more among its members.
Types of hearing loss
While more than 30 million Americans experience hearing loss, a large number of that demographic experiences hearing loss later in life. Age continues to be the largest predictor of hearing health issues, and the largest amount of hearing loss is in people between the ages of 60 and 69.
Age plays such a large role in hearing loss because it is one of its leading causes. Age-related hearing loss occurs as part of the natural aging process as we lose the small hair cells of our inner ears. We are born with a finite amount as they do not repair themselves or reproduce.
They are integral to the hearing process because they receive noise from the outside world and turn it into sound information to be sent to the brain. In the brain, our processing centers make meaning of the sound information and we can hear music, language, laughter, and birdsong.
Like aging, excessive noise exposure can also harm those vital inner ear cells. This can happen all at once or slowly over time. As the years’ progress, noise-induced hearing loss adds up until we begin to perceive noticeable differences in the way we hear.
Impacts of undiagnosed hearing loss
Hearing loss can be hard to self-diagnose. At first, we might just have trouble with speech clarity or making out what people are saying. And perhaps it is only noticeable from time to time. Hearing loss is a progressive condition though, which means it gets worse over time. Eventually, working a little harder to hear or asking people to repeat themselves can turn into unconscious strategies that have us avoiding connection with others.
The effect of hearing loss on behavior
Humans are so adaptable we often change our behaviors subconsciously or without even noticing. For instance, when hearing loss makes chatting with your neighbor or the person ringing up your groceries difficult, you might fall out of that habit. Perhaps you avoid conversations with acquaintances and strangers altogether.
When hearing loss makes talking on the phone with your siblings or friends a chore instead of a pleasure, you might simply stop picking up the phone.
When you argue with your spouse or housemates about the volume on the television in the evenings, you might simply stop watching your favorite programs together.
The problem with being so adaptable is that we can adapt without even realizing the toll it takes on us. You can see that eventually, some of the very things that make life vibrant and worth living fade into the background. We lose our connections with others and thus, our connections with ourselves.
Many people with hearing loss report feelings of isolation, depression, and other mental and emotional issues.
Treating hearing loss can help
In the avoidance of treating hearing loss, we have decided not to confront reality. Even if this reality is making our lives unmanageable, it can be a less risky option to pretend it’s not happening.
When we decide to acknowledge the havoc that hearing loss is wrecking in our lives, we can confront what’s right in front of us. That alone is a very brave step that can bring immediate feelings of accomplishment and fulfillment.
People who have decided to intervene in their hearing loss with hearing aids overwhelmingly state improved relationships as an outcome of that decision. A vast majority of hearing aid wearers would recommend them to a friend. They decrease the risk of depression and even dementia.
Schedule a hearing consultation
If you would like to reconnect with yourself, schedule a hearing consultation today. After a simple hearing exam, we’ll begin to work with you to ensure you experience the best possible hearing available to you so that you can return to the conversations you’re already a part of.