• What is Hearing Loss?
  • Causes of Hearing Loss
  • Types of Hearing Loss
  • Tinnitus
  • Side Effects of Hearing Loss
  • The Importance of Early Intervention
• Hearing Loss Questionnaire
• Online Hearing Test
• Helping a Family Member with Hearing Loss
  • Hearing Loss Simulation
  • Observation Questionnaire
  • Stages of Hearing Loss
  • Hearing Loss in Children
• Hearing Loss Treatment Methods

Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is very common, especially as we age. In fact, almost 20% of American adults report some degree of hearing difficulty*. In adults over 60, that number jumps to 30%**. In other words, if you believe you’re experiencing hearing loss, you’re not alone.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Hearing Loss

• Asking others to repeat themselves
• Turning up the television or radio volume to levels others find too loud
• Having trouble understanding conversation in noisy places
• Feeling like other people are always mumbling
• Having trouble hearing women’s and children’s voices
• Having trouble hearing over the telephone
• Feeling more irritable or depressed
• Avoiding social situations that were once enjoyable
• Having difficulty following a fast-moving conversation
• Missing important information in meetings
• Being told by others that you have hearing loss

See more Social Symptoms

• Feeling stressed from straining to hear what others are saying
• Feeling annoyed at people because you can’t hear or understand them
• Feeling embarrassed to meet new people because you may misunderstand what they’re saying
• Feeling nervous about trying to hear or understand
• Withdrawing or avoiding social situations that you once enjoyed because it’s hard to hear

See more Medical Symptoms

• Do you have a family history of hearing loss?
• Do you take medications that can harm the hearing system? (including antibiotics,
  chemotherapy, pain medication, radiation)
• Do you have diabetes, heart, circulatory or thyroid problems?
• Do you suspect dementia or memory loss?
• Do you ever experience ringing in your ears?
• Have you been exposed to very loud sounds over a long period?
• Did you experience a single exposure to explosive noise?

If you experience any of the above, it’s time to schedule a thorough evaluation and hearing test with a hearing professional. It’s quick, painless, and in many cases, free of charge. Once you know whether you have hearing loss, you can make decisions about how to get the most enjoyment out of your life and the relationships with people around you.

*National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). (2010). Quick Statistics. www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick.htm
**Kochkin, Sergei. (2011). Prevalence of Hearing Loss. Better Hearing Institute, www.betterhearing.org