A Practical Guide to Hearing Impairment and Solutions

Americans experience hearing loss issues in high numbers. In 2020, 6,000 babies were born with hearing impairment that affected one or both ears. A whopping 25.4 million Americans aged twelve years or older experience mild hearing loss that could be improved with some treatment in many cases. Moderate hearing loss affects another 10.7 million people. Those with severe hearing impairment in the USA number around 1.8 million individuals. Finally, profound hearing loss is the burden of roughly 400,000 Americans twelve years and older.

There are numerous options for dealing with hearing impairment of different degrees. For example, some sufferers can be helped adequately with hearing aids, while others may need to undergo surgery. The degree of hearing loss and the underlying cause play a large role in selecting the most effective treatment to restore quality of life.

The best approach starts with an initial diagnosis so that the problem and its extent are clear. Unfortunately, four out of five people ignore the warning signs and fail to get treatment. Some are actually unaware that they have a hearing problem. Left untreated, hearing impairment can deteriorate even further, making it harder to treat, until the person finds themselves struggling to hold conversations in social situations. This can lead to depression or unnecessary shame when treatment options are available. With so many people that can be helped with a proper diagnosis and treatment, it is important to get help at the first sign of hearing loss. Modern science and technology have resulted in new treatments becoming available.

Medical or Surgical Treatment

From simple hearing issues, such as conductive hearing loss, to more complex issues, it is best to get help as soon as possible so that the problem does not become worse. Surgery and medications are useful in many cases of hearing impairment. The important thing is to get tested, diagnosed, and then to consider treatment options.

Conductive hearing loss can be caused by a build-up of fluid or blockage of wax that affects the middle ear, and a bacterial infection. The latter can be treated with antibiotics. Sometimes, the problem occurs due to issues pertaining to the middle ear bones. This will often require surgery.

Hearing Aids

If there is no treatment to resolve the problem completely, your audiologist will recommend testing you to see if a hearing aid or other device would improve your hearing. It starts with a consultation, and your audiologist will ask a lot of questions before conducting a series of appropriate tests, depending on the problems you are experiencing. The right solution will take your specific lifestyle into account. For example, a teacher has different hearing needs from a housewife. Until you have an assessment, you will not know what can be done to improve your situation.

After being fitted with a hearing aid, you may need to go back to your audiologist for some adjustments. As hearing aids can help sufferers of hearing impairment regain better functionality, it is always worth making an appointment with an audiologist to see what options are available for the individual.

Assistive listening devices, including hearing aids, can provide a person with hearing impairment with an improved capacity for hearing. Nevertheless, these devices will not return the person to the state they were at before the hearing loss commenced. On the positive side, these devices can be coupled with auditory training to increase what the person can hear. Suitable types of training are setting up guidelines with the people you communicate the most with, training on listening strategies, and audiologic rehabilitation classes.

Alerting, Hearing Enhancement and Assistive Listening Devices

There are numerous devices that have been devised with advancing technologies that can improve the quality of life and hearing ability of the sufferer. For example, there are alerting, hearing enhancement, and assistive listening devices that may be helpful in certain situations. These devices may be recommended in conjunction with, or separate from, hearing aids.

A signaling device, also known as a test display device, allows speech or keystrokes to be converted into written text, or vibrations. An assistive listening device collects sound nearer to its source so that it is heard more clearly. Thus, the device overcomes the problems of distance, background noises, and echoes by bringing more direct sound to either the hearing aid or the ears. People who have issues with their hearing can use text and signaling display systems. These devices respond with flashing lights or text to the conversion of keystrokes and sound. They include TV Closed Captioning, Telephones, Warning Systems, and Signaling Systems.

Some of the devices that are available for the hearing-impaired are:

• Amplified Telephones
• Personal FM Systems
• Conference Microphones
• Television Listening Systems, and
• Large Area Listening Systems

Using Digital Mobile Phones With Hearing Aids

People who wear hearing aids often struggle to use mobile phones, experience interference, or cannot use them at all. Upgrades of digital hearing aids seek to eliminate interference or provide a shield against it. As mobile phone technology advances, it becomes easier to overcome these problems. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) laid out requirements for manufacturers of mobile phones in 2003 to address this issue. Digital wireless phones designed to work with hearing aids are being manufactured.

Cochlear Implants

Tiny electronic devices, called cochlear implants, have been devised to assist individuals with severe, incurable hearing loss. A cochlear implant cannot restore normal function to the ears. However, the ability to hear is enhanced and better than the use of a hearing aid. The Cochlear Implant Center, which is located at UCSF Medical Centre, has been working on improving cochlear implants for three decades.

Hearing impairment affects many Americans, but many can be helped. If you suffer from hearing impairment, do not wait for the condition to worsen. Sometimes, the problems could be as simple as a wax build-up in the middle ear. An assessment and hearing tests conducted by an audiologist will provide you with a diagnosis and outline the treatment options.