Your brain is like any other muscle in the body.

 

Hearing Loss And The Audiologist

What is hearing loss?
Hearing loss exists for persons who may be unable to:

• hear speech and other sounds loudly enough, and/or
• understand speech even when it is loud enough.

How many persons in the United States have hearing loss?
The following estimates of the prevalence of chronic hearing loss in the United States are from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey:

• More than two thirds of all individuals who reported chronic hearing loss were 45 years of age or older.
• The percentage of individuals with a hearing loss relative to the general population was:
  under 18 years of age: 1.6%
  18-44 years of age: 5.3%
  45-64 years of age: 13.7%
  65-74 years of age: 22.9%
  over 75 years of age: 31.9%

  [ Source: Adams, P.F., & Marano, M.A. (1995). Current estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 1994. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat, 10(l93)]

In addition, the following prevalence data have been reported relative to hearing loss:

• One third of individuals over 65 have a hearing loss that interferes with speech perception and effective communication; the prevalence of hearing loss increases with age.

More than 30 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels that could result in hearing loss.

[Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (1996, April). National occupational research agenda (DHHS/NIOSH Pub. No. 96-115). Cincinnati, OH:Author.]

[Source: Maximizing Human Potential: Decade of the Brain 1990-2000. Report of the Sub-committee on Brain and Behavioral Sciences. April 1991]

• 14 to15 million Americans have a moderate to severe hearing impairment.

By age six, an estimated 90% of all children have experienced otitis media at least once. Annually over 10 million physician visits are attributed to otitis media.
[Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (1992). Research in human communication (Pub. No, 93-3562). Annual report. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.]

(Source: Decade of the Brain: Answers Through Scientific Research. The National Advisory Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke Council. National Institutes of Health. January 1989.)

• Hearing loss and other communication disorders affect more than 1 in 10 persons in the U.S.
• 28 million individuals have a hearing loss.

(Source: A Decade of Progress Ahead. 1990 Annual Report of the National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Advisory Board.)

What are some of the effects of hearing loss?
Because a person with a hearing loss does not hear a sentence or question clearly, it may be misunderstood. A supervisor’s or a customer’s request may be ignored, and job performance may suffer. Meetings, movies, parties, theatrical performances, and religious services may no longer provide the same benefits they once did. Friends and loved ones can become frustrated after continually repeating what they said and still not being understood. Eventually, the person with hearing loss may even develop psychological problems.

 

Preschool children who experience temporary hearing problems due to infection that recurs, may face serious interference with speech and language development. The school-age child with hearing problems may find learning difficult and perform inconsistently in school or repeatedly fall behind.

Hearing loss can also be a serious medical problem and may necessitate referral to a physician for medical treatment or surgery. For example, some tumors not only cause a hearing loss but also can be life threatening. The audiologist’s evaluation may result in a referral to an ear, nose, and throat specialist or other type of physician.

What does an audiologist do?
Audiologists perform a number of services; they

• scientifically measure hearing ability in children and adults.
• identify the presence and severity of any hearing problem.
• provide practical suggestions on how to handle communication situations at home, work, school, and other places so that the effects of the problems are reduced.
• test to determine if amplification devices, such as hearing aids, will help.
• help a person understand what a hearing aid or other assistive listening device can and cannot do.
• instruct the person in speech (lip) reading.
• counsel the person on possible strategies and solutions to problems that a person with a hearing loss may face.