The Prevalence Of Hearing Loss

The purpose of this paper is to consider and appropriately determine the undeviating correlation of hearing loss to dementia. Hearing loss is a prevalent, multifaceted issue that many individuals struggle with, especially the elderly population. Furthermore, one of the many negative consequences that these individual’s battle with is the inevitable cognitive decline that accompanies hearing loss. Many studies and clinical trials give rise to awareness and implication of cognitive decline linked to a progressive hearing loss. Such fundamental quantitative data provides sufficient evidence to validate the increasing correspondence of dementia and hearing loss as well as provide critical knowledge to the public eye.

Long-term noise exposure is an example; this is due to the damage that the noise exposure can have on the sensory hair cells. Sensory hair cells are what allow you to hear and if damaged the ability to hear is reduced and these hair cells do not grow back. As Colin was a car mechanic this meant he will have been in contact and close proximity to loud equipment and machinery daily, this could have had a detrimental effect to his hearing and prevented him from hearing Mary. Other environmental factors include ototoxic drugs, genetic factors and cell damage and neural degeneration which are common effects of aging. Ototoxic drugs can effect hearing as they can damage the inner ear including the hair cells and also the auditory nerve, this is important as it carries the sound information to the

The slow processing of sensations in the brain due to aging, reflect the cause why so many older adults find it difficult to talk or make any speech in noisy environments. Older adults with “normal” hearing also face the same circumstance.

2. Hearing loss is one of the most common problems in older adults. Seniors with hearing loss can have difficulties communicating with family members, doctors, alarms and warning bells.

Hearing loss is one of the most common ailments faced by American seniors. In fact, nearly 36 million seniors have at least some hearing loss, with the majority of those individuals being more than 65 years of age. On the surface, the consequences of hearing loss may seem to be about the loss of a physical sense. In reality, the actual loss of hearing is the least of a senior's concerns.

The book Shouting Won 't Help by Katherine Boulton is a memoir and guide about being hearing impaired. Her journey about having a bilateral hearing loss: profound deaf in one ear and severely impaired in the other ear. It is a part memoir and a part scientific study about her experience. The book is organized using the author 's personal experience while also explore series of questions about the different types of causes of deafness - environmental and medical factors, the social stigma attached to it, the professional challenges faced with hearing loss and the technologies that help. At the end of every chapter, the author includes a titled chapter “Voices” about other people 's stories about their hardship and experience.

A study published in 2013 by Johns Hopkins University followed nearly 2,000 people with an average age of 77. Researchers found that people who had deafness that interfered with normal conservations were 24 percent more likely to have diminished cognitive functions. This particular study followed participants for six years. The basic conclusion was that hearing loss, especially in older adults, may speed up dementia and the decline of the brain.

More than 70,000 deaf Americans have received cochlear implants since the FDA approved their use in 1985 for adults and for children in 1990 (ASHA Quick Facts 1). Since doctors externally implant the device and link it to the auditory nerve, a hearing-impaired child can detect noises slightly faster than adults who hear normally. Supporting this conclusion, findings from the University of Iowa’s otolaryngology department studies concluded that younger children tend to acclimate more easily, because most have not yet become accustomed to speaking with others. The results also revealed that the earlier the procedure occurs, the more benefit that is reaped over the long run (Cochlear Implant article, Aggen 1). In addition, this “early-action”, top-dollar implant proves to be one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, when one takes into consideration the cost required to address it later in life due to rising costs of the implants, or the lack of hearing takes a downturn. Nevertheless, cochlear implants do indeed provide a level of hearing previously deemed

The National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorder calculates that about 2 percent of older adults have disabling hearing loss. The NIDC uses the decible of hearing loss at 35 decibels or more in the better ear which is the level at which adults could generally benefit from hearing aids. The medical term for old age related hearing loss with no other causes is Presbycusis. As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) the term elderly or aged refers to persons aged 60 years or above. These statistic are ever changing and will continue to increase as people are living longer and will continue to live longer. As a person ages its normal to lose some of the perceptiveness of hearing. Presbycusis doesn’t remove hearing completely however this small deficiency can get worse over time. Most people with presbycusis just lose the ability to hear at a higher tone. This makes it harder to understand others speech. In order to understand how this affects people we must first understand how sound travels through the ear into the brain.

This research paper focuses on the separations of common hearing loss issues within the hard of hearing community, elucidating three groups that are considered the major division that identify within the Hard of hearing community, appropriately. There are a few distinguishing common, yet complex challenges, and universal problems of living within their culture. Based on the qualities of psychosocial perspectives of hearing loss, there are distinctive views of socialism, activities and everyday life that affects his or her lifestyle. Partially, the sense of hearing could be considered a major predicament during a later age of hearing loss, and could create a miscommunication that can cause changes to jobs, relationships and life. Even though people can jump from one view to another contingently based on experiences they have encountered, usually there are three perceptions based on the implicit connotations of their situations.

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 eight hours, I got to step into the shoes of over 48 million Americans who live with a hearing loss. I had the opportunity to experience what it means to have an invisible impairment in a world made for those who have good hearing. The bright orange earplug served as my ticket to one of the most humbling adventures I have ever undertaken. I would have never imagined that a 32dB unilateral hearing loss would cause so much frustration. With frustration, however, came understanding and empathy. I am now confident that my experience will aid me in developing accurate expectations and treatment plans to my future clients.

For the report of Alzheimer’s disease, we used the data information located on the article, Auditory spatial processing in Alzheimer’s disease, written many colleagues, some of which are Hannah L. Golden, Jennifer M. Nicholas, Keir X. X. Yong, Laura E Downey, Jonathan M. Schott, and several others. The study gives a brief description of the complications caused by Alzheimer’s disease. For instance it compares the number of female and male found in each trial and simplifies the study by using demographic characteristics that give a broad representation of the population. In order words, this study is a sample of the entire population in the world experiencing auditory interferences. This study uses the detections of the motions of sounds, analyzes

Participants included six individuals who attend Middle Tennessee State University (1 male, 5 female). All were English-speaking adults who had no history of hearing loss. Participants were between the ages of 18 and 22 (mean age of 20.83).