“Can You Hear Me Now?”

Getting the word out on hearing loss.

We are all familiar with that “mature adult” with the huge hearing aid constantly saying “huh, say again, or what”. However, 14.1% of American adults (27.7 million) 18 years and older report some difficulty hearing. Hearing loss impacts all age groups but is more prevalent among unscreened older adults who are also likely to be without hearing assistance. There are increasing numbers of younger people experiencing diminished hearing and are being screened for earlier interventions.

Some causes of hearing loss can be conductive, mixed, or sensorineural. Younger people are often impacted if they have served in the armed forces where blasts can occur whether in active duty or training aspects. Musicians are certainly at risk due to the constant high decibel exposure. There are also genetic factors, as well as diseases such as shingles and meningitis.

There is a negative impact of hearing loss and universal masking and social distancing policies.

Policies are now in place where patients are unaccompanied by supporting family members. This leads to poor communication and patient safety concerns regarding understanding of instructions, recommendations, and advice. Many people with hearing loss rely on lip reading and facial expressions and with the masks in place, the communication barrier is impacted.

Social distancing further compounds the negative effect of masking on speech audibility. Whereas conversational distances between two talkers in the United States typically ranges from 1.5 to 3 feet, the currently recommended social distancing of at least 6 feet (which translates to a doubling or even quadrupling of the distance) means the sound pressure level decreases by 6 to 12 dB, or more.

In 2015, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recommended that the FDA create a new regulatory class for hearing aids to be sold over the counter for the mild to moderate hearing loss patients. This action may encourage more people to seek hearing aid services which may not have been possible before. There are many new models of hearing aids that are very discrete which come with Bluetooth compatible devices such as cell phones, computers, televisions and many have remote controls!

I would like to encourage anyone with diminished hearing to make an appointment for an audiometry test which is an excellent way to screen and refer for further treatment.

I am hopeful that more patients with hearing loss will seek treatment and the communication process can be improved resulting in a better quality of life.