Sound Advice

Reality Check

Hearing loss is the 3rd most prevalent condition among elderly Americans, behind high blood pressure and arthritis. While most people undergo blood pressure testing and treat their sore joints, few elderly individuals undergo hearing tests.

When people do acknowledge a hearing problem, they usually do so at their spouse's insistence. Why? In most cases, hearing loss develops so gradually that many sufferers do not realize that they have a problem. More than 90 percent of hearing loss is sensorineural (no deafness), which typically results from damage to the hair cells of the cochlea. This type of hearing loss is characterized by an inability to hear high frequency sounds and can be greatly improved with the help of a hearing instrument.

Hearing breaks down into two basic parts - threshold, the ability to perceive how loud sound is (volume), and discrimination, an ability to perceive how high or low it is (pitch). Sound moves in waves (cycles), and Hertz describes the frequency of those cycles. The higher the frequency, the more cycles, the greater the number of Hertz, the higher the pitch.

Age-related hearing loss most often starts with deficits in discrimination because the ear loses its ability to register high frequency sounds. As a result, sounds formed by some consonants and blended consonants, such as "F" and "SH" which are uttered at higher pitch than vowel sounds, tend to sound alike. This is an indication of hearing loss.

Remember, many people with age-related hearing loss say they can hear just fine. They just do not understand what is being said.

Call us to schedule an appointment, request a free information packet, or to reserve a seat at our next educational seminar.