Hearing loss is a primary cause of depression among
those who have yet to seek help for their hearing
impairment. Reader inquiries may be directed to "Contact
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From a recent article in Fresno's Northview publication:
Study links hearing loss to depression, isolation
Hearing loss affects more than 30 million Americans, and
is especially prevalent among people over the age of 60.
Illness, injury, or exposure to loud noise can cause
hearing loss in adults. The loss may occur suddenly, or
so gradually that it goes unnoticed until it is quite
severe.
According to a 1990 study from the National Center for
Health Statistics, it is the third most common chronic
health problem among the senior population, but in
reality anyone of any age can be affected. Surprisingly,
hearing loss is often the least diagnosed health
problem. Statistics show that it takes an average of
five years before a person pursues testing and fitting
for a hearing aid.
Hearing loss is invisible, and usually occurs gradually.
It can mimic forgetfulness, inattentiveness or mental
dullness. Many adults react to hearing loss by
withdrawing from activities they previously enjoyed,
needlessly resigning themselves to less productive
lives, resulting in social isolation and strained
personal relationships.
Helen Keller called deafness "A worse misfortune than
being blind (because) when you lose your vision you lose
contact with things, when you lose your hearing you lose
contact with people."
Lynn Krikorian, MA, CCC-A and Jasmit Bal, MS, CCC-A,
audiologists at Fresno's Physicians Hearing Services, a
division of Central California Ear, Nose and Throat
Medical Group, recently attended the Oticon Human Link
Conference, a national meeting of hearing care
professionals that examined a new study on untreated
hearing loss.
The study, conducted by the National Council on the
Aging (NCOA), revealed that because hearing loss often
leads to isolation, left untreated, it can cause
depression, sadness, paranoia, anxiety, and a measurable
decrease in an individual's social activity. According
to Krikorian, these conclusions have far-reaching
implications for the estimated 28 million Americans with
hearing loss.
"This is solid evidence that hearing loss is more than
just a personal inconvenience," said Krikorian. "It
affects every person who has a hearing loss, as well as
the people they interact with-- their families, friends,
and colleagues."
According to the NCOA study, three out of five older
Americans and six out of seven middle-aged Americans
with hearing loss do not use hearing aids primarily
because of denial or vanity. But when hearing loss is
detected and treated, people report significant
improvements in many areas of their lives.
"It's important that we as hearing professionals, alert
people to the remarkable advances in hearing instruments
over the last decade. Digital hearing aids, such as
Oticon's DigiFocus II, are small, sleek 'computers for
the ear' that enable hard-of-hearing individuals to hear
sound more clearly and distinctly in a wide range of
surroundings," explained Bal. "These state-of-the-art
instruments are programmed by hearing professionals to
match the exact hearing profile of the user. The clean,
crisp sound that digital instruments produce can make a
significant difference in the user's ability to
participate fully in work, family and social
situations."
With older hearing aids, available adjustments were
limited. People would increase the overall volume to
hear parts of words more clearly. Unfortunately, this
also raised the overall loudness.
By contrast, digital hearing instruments contain a
computer chip that processes sound up to one million
times per second, and adjusts according to your hearing
needs.
An example would be the word "map." The hearing aid can
be set up to give less amplification to the lower
pitched part of a word, "ma," and provide an extra boost
in the higher pitched "p," to allow you to distinguish
the word map from the word math. Speech is understood
more clearly without having to increase the volume for
the entire word just to hear the faint sound of the "p."
Today's hearing aids can use microchips and sound
processing circuits to better filter out background
noise. They can be individually programmed for a certain
hearing loss, and some can be fitted with a special coil
to improve use with the telephone.
Over 120 hearing-care professionals from across the
country participated in the three-day Oticon Human Link
Conference. Keynote speaker Carole M. Rogin, M.A.,
president of the Hearing Industries Association,
challenged the participants to find ways to educate
their communities about the immediate and long-term
implications of the landmark study.
"The study shows beyond a doubt that hearing matters
Hearing-care professionals now have solid proof that
hearing is an important health issue that impacts every
aspect of our lives," said Rogin. "In their day-today
contact with patients and other medical professionals,
they have an enormous opportunity to increase
understanding and awareness of the negative consequences
of untreated hearing loss."
Because hearing difficulties can occur at any age,
Krikorian recommends periodic hearing evaluations, which
are simple and painless, to assess the degree of hearing
loss. Annual evaluations are recommended for people over
50 years of age.
"The NCOA study confirms what many professionals already
believed-- hearing loss is closely linked to emotional
well-being and quality of life," Krikorian said. "In our
practice care extends well beyond the initial assessment
and fitting of hearing devices. We provide counseling,
offer other options to improve hearing, conduct
follow-up care and, if necessary, educate the patient's
family or friends on ways to improve day-to-day living
with a hearing impaired individual."
9/26/02
Copyright 2002, Central California Ear, Nose and Throat
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