BEWARE THE GRADUAL DRIFT TO DEAFNESS
It might seem that someone is either deaf or not deaf, but the definition is more complex and depends upon the individual. In part because people with hearing problems are treated with less sympathy than people with visual problems some people are less willing to acknowledge that they have a problem with hearing. Deafness is associated with “being old” and is the butt of many jokes in the way that blindness is not.
The problem can be better defined as impairment of hearing to a degree that makes communication difficult or results in the change in the persons behaviour, for example they stop going out to parties because they have difficulty in hearing at the party.
Why are hearing problems important?
Hearing problems are important because they affect the quality of life for the individual affected. The increase in isolation occurs both because the person may choose not to meet others so often and because the person feels isolated in company and isolation can lead to depression. It is also clear that deafness increases the risk of dementia.
Why is it important to understand the condition?
It is important to understand not only the condition but also the attitudes relating to it because these influence the individual’s decision to delay seeking help. Some deafness is due to wax in the ear and a visit to an optometrist and an accurate diagnosis as to whether or not it is due to wax is the first step in improving hearing.
Can the problem be slowed, reduced or reversed?
Deafness is not treatable in the way that rheumatoid arthritis is treatable, namely there is no drug that can be used. It is certainly possible to have a cochlear implant and an increasing number of adults are having cochlear implants, an operation conducted by an ENT surgeon who inserts a small piece of electronic equipment to restore hearing. But for most people a hearing aid service is needed, not just a bit of technology but a service, which will certainly slow and can reverse the difficulties in communication and therefore the isolation. NHS Choices describes the options clearly
What can be done?
The first thing is a proper assessment by an audiologist. Sometime the assessment is done in a hospital ENT department but there are many good companies and many independent audiologists offering this service.
The audiologist will exclude wax as the cause of the problem and then give advice on the most appropriate type of hearing aid and, even more important, how to use and adjust the hearing aid in different situations and environments. It is important to realise the solution is not just a hearing aid but a hearing aid service in which someone is available to help with difficulties and to help with adaptation to this serious and under recognised problem.
Hearing aids are now more acceptable than they were not only because they are much smaller and can be fitted to spectacle legs but also because so many people are wearing buds in their eye since the iPhone introduced its cordless ear plugs there has undoubtedly been a change in attitude to being seen with something in your ear, an unexpected benefit of iPhone technology.
It might seem that someone is either deaf or not deaf, but the definition is more complex and depends upon the individual. In part because people with hearing problems are treated with less sympathy than people with visual problems some people are less willing to acknowledge that they have a problem with hearing. Deafness is associated with “being old” and is the butt of many jokes in the way that blindness is not.
The problem can be better defined as impairment of hearing to a degree that makes communication difficult or results in the change in the persons behaviour, for example they stop going out to parties because they have difficulty in hearing at the party.
Why are hearing problems important?
Hearing problems are important because they affect the quality of life for the individual affected. The increase in isolation occurs both because the person may choose not to meet others so often and because the person feels isolated in company and isolation can lead to depression. It is also clear that deafness increases the risk of dementia.
Why is it important to understand the condition?
It is important to understand not only the condition but also the attitudes relating to it because these influence the individual’s decision to delay seeking help. Some deafness is due to wax in the ear and a visit to an optometrist and an accurate diagnosis as to whether or not it is due to wax is the first step in improving hearing.
Can the problem be slowed, reduced or reversed?
Deafness is not treatable in the way that rheumatoid arthritis is treatable, namely there is no drug that can be used. It is certainly possible to have a cochlear implant and an increasing number of adults are having cochlear implants, an operation conducted by an ENT surgeon who inserts a small piece of electronic equipment to restore hearing. But for most people a hearing aid service is needed, not just a bit of technology but a service, which will certainly slow and can reverse the difficulties in communication and therefore the isolation. NHS Choices describes the options clearly
What can be done?
The first thing is a proper assessment by an audiologist. Sometime the assessment is done in a hospital ENT department but there are many good companies and many independent audiologists offering this service.
The audiologist will exclude wax as the cause of the problem and then give advice on the most appropriate type of hearing aid and, even more important, how to use and adjust the hearing aid in different situations and environments. It is important to realise the solution is not just a hearing aid but a hearing aid service in which someone is available to help with difficulties and to help with adaptation to this serious and under recognised problem.
Hearing aids are now more acceptable than they were not only because they are much smaller and can be fitted to spectacle legs but also because so many people are wearing buds in their eye since the iPhone introduced its cordless ear plugs there has undoubtedly been a change in attitude to being seen with something in your ear, an unexpected benefit of iPhone technology.