Health And Social Care Level 3 Unit 13 Hearing Loss

This happens in two ways: listening at too high of a volume, or listening for too long. Studies have confirmed the obvious fact that “the louder the noise and the longer you’re hearing it, the greater the risk of hearing loss” (Siegel). This study concluded that an increasing amount of teens are suffering hearing loss and “wearing earbuds to listen to music may be to blame” (Siegel). The knowledge of loud sounds hurting the ear is well known, but not as many people are aware of the problems caused by listening to music for an extended amount of time. “Constant low-level noise might cause hearing problems, a new study in rats finds” (Cheung). Even music at a low level can damage a listener’s hearing if heard for an extended period of time, but what can losing some hearing really do to a

There are four main types of hearing loss: auditory processing, conductive, sensorineural, and mixed. In auditory processing hearing loss, the brain has difficulty processing the information it receives from the inner ear. Conductive hearing loss occurs when the Outer or Middle ear are subjected to damage. A number of factors can yield conductive hearing loss; including problems as simple as an excess of ear wax to problems as complex as otosclerosis, which is abnormal bone growth in the ossicles. Sensorineural hearing loss typically occurs when the cochlea and/or nerve endings are damaged. Unlike conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss is almost always permanent. Over-exposure to a loud environment, or even old age, are the most common factors that lead to sensorineural hearing loss.

Getting older means losing a lot of things. (e.g., one’s hair, eye sight, or hearing). Hearing loss can effect a person’s life as a whole. Polku, Mikkola, Rantakokko, Portegijs, Törmäkangas, Rantanen, & Viljanen (2016) believes that when a person has hearing loss it affects their mobility in the world. They did a study questioning whether older adults with hearing impairment lose their ability to be mobile while they are out in the world. This is an interesting question because it is strange to think that having a minor deficiency such as hear loss can affect your ability to do regular things (Polku, Mikkola, Rantakokko, Portegijs, Törmäkangas, Rantanen, & Viljanen, 2016).

Hearing loss is one of the most common physical conditions in the United States. It has been referred to as an invisible condition, as we can’t see it occurring; all we see is the effects of it (Hearing Loss Association of America). The severity of the loss can range in the classifications of mild, moderate, severe, or profound. It can also occur in just one ear, or both. Hearing loss can occur at any age. People can be born with deafness (which is known as congenital hearing loss), or lose their hearing over a gradual period of time. Causes of why hearing loss occurs vary per person. The most common cause of loss is noise and aging. Buildup in the air, injury, ear infection, rupture eardrum are other causes as well. For children who suffer from hearing loss, most are born with it.

Age is the most common factor in increasing hearing loss. About 30 percent of people between 65 and 74 experience some difficulty in hearing. That percentage and the severity of the loss increase with age.

For many of us, our sense of hearing is one thing we take for granted. Our ears drink it all in: discussions with family and friends, dogs barking, traffic noise, music concerts, and babies crying. It is not until sounds begin to fade that most folks consult hearing doctors. These experts do see a lot of individuals suffering from hearing loss, they also provide various other services, also.

e. Ototoxic- refers to agents that can produce hearing loss. Ototoxic agents include very loud sounds and several classes of drugs and chemicals used in the work environment; there also may be synergistic effects among ototoxic agents (e.g., noise and workplace chemicals) (Friis, 2012, pg. 353).

Many seniors suffer from hearing loss. Sadly, many more are suffering from the effects of hearing loss and do not even know it. They face physical and emotional issues that are frustrating, angering, and depressing, but they can't put their finger on what is wrong. Often, the issues can be traced back to a loss of hearing, but first they need to consider that this might be an issue and pursue the treatments that could correct their hearing-related issues.

What do you think of when you see the word “Hearing Loss”? Honestly, before doing research on this subject, the first thing that came to mind when I see this word is “Deaf”. Being ignorant to the fact that these are two completely different conditions. Surprisingly, I found that most people often confuse these words as well. There are several major causes of hearing loss and with in this writing we will discuss a few of them. Lack of knowledge is considered a cause because if everyone were more aware of the symptoms there would be a better outcome of the condition. Another known cause of hearing loss is noise induced hearing loss, which is cause mostly by being exposed to high decibels for a certain amount of time. High decibels can come from

Peripheral hearing loss, in addition to other types of hearing loss, is very common among the elderly. For those who develop permanent, peripheral hearing loss in older age, there are two main etiologies. Exposure to severe acoustic trauma can cause hearing loss at any age. However, a life-time exposure of lower level environmental noise can also lead to hearing loss due to noise. In addition, the phenomenon of presbycusis, age related hearing loss, also occurs in a large number of elderly people. This paper seeks to untangle the connections and interactions between noise induced hearing loss and presbycusis in older adults.

The sense of hearing allows you to enjoy everything from a good band to the laughter of your grandchildren. However, hearing loss is common among aging individuals. Understanding hearing loss causes and how to implement preventative measures will help you savor your favorite sounds.

In Australia 1 in 5 teenagers experience hearing loss from the use of earphones. 30,000 people in Australia are deaf and the rate of deafness is 30% higher than it was in the 1980's and 1990's. 40% of hearing loss, for people over the age of 18, is caused from clubs and bars having their music too loud. Hearing loss can occur from only 1 hour and 15 minutes of unsafe levels of sound. The safe level of sound when using earphones is 85 decibels(dB) or lower. But a soft whisper is 30dB, busy traffic is 75dB, a subway train 90dB, a gunshot 100dB, a jet plane 140dB and a rocket is 180dB.

Have you ever thought about the dangers of earbuds? What do you consider “loud”? Have you heard of hearing loss? Matthew, sixteen, could hear just fine until everything went silent. Every time Matthew ran on his treadmill, he listened to music on full blast. “One day,” he proclaimed, “... I couldn’t hear a thing.” Doctors diagnosed Matthew with noise induced hearing loss. How? His very loud music on his iPod. Now nineteen, Matthew has a hard time communicating. His most common word now is “What?”

Feeling constant mumbling words hard to understand, asking people to repeat conversation again and again, and turning the television to a level that others would complain to be too loud, are the many symptoms of hearing loss my grandfather suffered and never noticed. It was until 2003, when we brought him to visit an audiologist, being officially told that he had permanent sensorineural hearing loss, due to his natural aging process. This meant not being able to clearly understand people speaking including me, his grandchild. This meant not being able to go to his everyday work as a policeman. This meant not being able to even hear the sounds of nature; the birds chirping, the dog barking.

Hearing loss can be caused by congenital defect or acquired illness or accidents. In order to simulate people with hearing loss, I wore earplugs for 8 hours last Saturday to experience their feeling. Even though earplugs have pretty good sound insulation, my experience was still a little better than those people with hearing loss because I could hear my voice clearly when talking to others. Except this little pity, it was a special day for me. It happened from that morning.