The vast majority of employees¹ (79%) agree that it is important for employers to offer hearing benefits as part of their overall employee benefits package. This interest has continued to grow year-over-year, up from just 54% in 2023 and 53% in 2022. Despite this continued growth, however, only 11% of employees report their current employer offers hearing benefits.  

While interest continued to be greatest among those who wear hearing aids (94%), there was also a significant year-over-year increase among those with no hearing loss, demonstrating the growing appreciation for hearing benefits regardless of employees’ current hearing status. Compared to 2023, interest in hearing benefits among employees with no hearing loss increased by 65%.  

Employees who report hearing benefits are important to include in a benefits package 

“These are notable increases that need to be acted upon by employers. It could not be more clear that employees need and want hearing benefits, and employers are failing their employees by not offering them,” said Rob Gibbs, SVP of Business Growth at TruHearing. “Adding hearing benefits into a benefits package is not only a smart move for safeguarding employee health and wellness, but it’s also a financially savvy way to enhance your offerings. TruHearing offers high-quality hearing healthcare programs that start as low as $.05 PMPM, which is a fraction of the price of typical vision and dental plans.” 

At just 11%, hearing benefits are offered at a remarkably lower rate than vision (71%) and dental (76%), despite widespread agreement among employees that eye exams, dental cleanings and hearing checks are all of high importance to their quality of life and wellness, with 89%, 87% and 71% respectively.  

“Providing employees with hearing benefits is a win-win for both parties,” added Gibbs. “Proper treatment of hearing loss results in higher productivity at work, and enhanced health and happiness outside the office. It’s time for hearing health to be valued by employers as much as it’s valued by their employees.” 

[1] Hearing Loss in the Workplace Survey. 2024

About TruHearing 

TruHearing is the #1 market share leader in hearing healthcare benefits serving more than 160 million people and over 300 partners nationwide. With more than 20 years of experience, TruHearing has the expertise to create industry-leading hearing healthcare solutions customized to match the unique needs of any organization or market segment. Guided by a goal to reconnect people to the richness of life, TruHearing has developed the largest, high-quality provider network offering the most technologically advanced hearing aid selection. TruHearing delivers superlative value to ensure payers and their members receive a flawless experience every step of the way. Headquartered in Draper, Utah, TruHearing has been recognized as a “Top Workplace” in the state for six consecutive years.

The post Employee Interest in Hearing Benefits Skyrockets, But Only One in 10 Report Coverage   appeared first on TruHearing.

DRAPER, UT – July 22, 2023 – Despite efforts by employers to deliver greater health equity through their benefits packages, access to hearing healthcare remains a missed opportunity to support vulnerable employees, according to new research by TruHearing^[1], the market leader in hearing healthcare benefits.

Hearing plays a fundamental role in nearly every profession, in addition to everyday interactions outside the workplace. Allowing hearing loss to go untreated can not only impact productivity but can also lead to declining mental health. The decision to seek treatment for something so serious should be as obvious as addressing vision loss or dental pain, but hearing healthcare coverage is often excluded from benefits plans. Nearly 40% of U.S. employees have or suspect hearing loss, but only 17% of employees indicate their employer offers hearing benefits.

Without coverage, the average cost of a pair of hearing aids is over $4,600^[2], and an initial hearing evaluation can be an additional out-of-pocket expense. These treatment costs can often push care beyond the reach of most U.S. workers. According to a 2022 survey by the Federal Reserve, 37% of Americans would be unable to fully cover a $400 emergency expense^[3]. With hearing healthcare so often excluded in benefits packages, it is clear why only 10% of employees with hearing loss have pursued treatment. In fact, 82% of employees who suspect they have hearing loss report they have not even had a hearing test in the last year.

“Hearing is so vital to our productivity and mental wellbeing both in and out of the office. It is shocking that more employers aren’t aware of the value of offering hearing benefits to their employees,” said Trent Sterling, CEO, TruHearing. “Everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve their best health, and employers hold the key to making those opportunities affordable. Hearing benefits are a meaningful way to close this gap in health equity and make healthcare more accessible for employees.”

Hearing health coverage is clearly desired by employees, especially among those with lower household incomes. Among employees who feel it is at least somewhat important for employers to offer hearing benefits, more than half (52%) report a household income under $75K. Additionally, 57% of employees with untreated hearing loss report they would be motivated to address their hearing loss if their employer offered hearing benefits.

Not only are hearing benefits in demand by employees, but they are also affordable for employers to implement at a fraction of the cost of vision or dental benefits. High-quality, entry level hearing healthcare programs through TruHearing are less than $.05 PMPM which is a fraction of the price of typical vision and dental plans.

“When employees are healthy and thriving, companies thrive, too,” added Sterling. “Health benefits enable employees to affordably prioritize their dental, vision and other health needs, and hearing healthcare should be no different.”

For more information, visit: www.truhearing.com/benefit-administrators.

###

^[1] TruHearing’s 2023 survey included 536 U.S. full- and part-time employees ages 25-64, and 161 people within TruHearing’s consumer database. Answers were segmented by those who do not have hearing loss; those who suspect hearing loss but have not sought treatment; those with confirmed hearing loss but do not wear hearing aids; and those who currently wear hearing aids.

^[2] www.hearingtracker.com/how-much-do-hearing-aids-cost

^[3] https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2022-report-economic-well-being-us-households-202305.pdf

About TruHearing

TruHearing is the #1 market share leader in hearing healthcare benefits serving more than 160 million people and over 300 partners nationwide. With more than 20 years of experience, TruHearing has the expertise to create industry-leading hearing healthcare solutions customized to match the unique needs of any organization or market segment. Guided by a goal to reconnect people to the richness of life, TruHearing has developed the largest, high-quality provider network offering the most technologically advanced hearing aid selection. TruHearing delivers superlative value to ensure payers and their members receive a flawless experience every step of the way. Headquartered in Draper, Utah, TruHearing has been recognized as a “Top Workplace” in the state for six consecutive years.

The post TruHearing Survey Reveals Lack of Basic Health Benefits Hurts Health Equity appeared first on TruHearing.

In its third-annual Hearing Loss in the Workplace Study, TruHearing asked employees with hearing loss about their experiences before and after wearing hearing aids. Across all areas explored, employees wearing hearing aids showed improvement in both their personal and professional lives. On the job, employees experienced a 62% decline in “participating less in meetings” and a 60% decline in “frustration from a colleague for misunderstanding what was said or not responding” after wearing hearing aids (See Table 1). Improvements were also notable outside of work where reports of “feeling less engaged in life” decreased by 75%, and “feelings of isolation” decreased by 52% (See Table 2).

These improvements have been experienced firsthand by Brynn Whaley, a young professional who worked for years unable to treat her hearing loss. “I’ve dealt with a lot of people being very abrasive and annoyed that I can’t hear them,” said Whaley. “I’ve been yelled at more times than I can count. I’ve been in therapy for years because of it. Since I’ve had hearing aids, it has been a lot easier.”

The TruHearing survey also explored how untreated hearing loss can jeopardize productivity. Employees who suspect hearing loss, but have not pursued treatment, reported significantly more burnout in the workplace (59%) than those who wear hearing aids (11%).

“Cost is the number one reason people give for not treating hearing loss, and too many employees are suffering personally and professionally because they can’t afford hearing healthcare,” said Trent Sterling, CEO, TruHearing. “Employers can remove this barrier by including hearing health coverage in their benefits package.”

Pursuing treatment for hearing loss is one of the most impactful ways to combat mental health issues associated with hearing loss, but employers have not made it easy for employees to do so. Only 21% of employees report they are offered hearing health benefits by their employer, a remarkably low percent considering more than half of U.S. employees (59%) agree hearing loss plays a role in overall mental health, with even stronger feelings among those who wear hearing aids (74%).

“So much of our life is spent at work or interacting with coworkers, and if mental health is being jeopardized in the workplace because of lack of healthcare offerings, it’s not just hurting the employees but employers, too,” added Sterling. “Offering hearing health benefits is an easy and cost-efficient way for employers to demonstrate their commitment to employee mental health and wellbeing.”

For more information, visit: www.truhearing.com/benefit-administrators.

TABLE 1:

TABLE 2:

^[1] TruHearing’s 2023 survey included 536 U.S. full- and part-time employees ages 25-64, and 161 people within TruHearing’s consumer database. Answers were segmented by those who do not have hearing loss; those who suspect hearing loss but have not sought treatment; those with confirmed hearing loss but do not wear hearing aids; and those who currently wear hearing aids.

About TruHearing

TruHearing is the #1 market share leader in hearing healthcare benefits serving more than 160 million people and over 300 partners nationwide. With more than 19 years of experience, TruHearing has the expertise to create industry-leading hearing healthcare solutions customized to match the unique needs of any organization or market segment. Guided by a goal to reconnect people to the richness of life, TruHearing has developed the largest, high-quality provider network offering the most technologically advanced hearing aid selection. TruHearing delivers superlative value to ensure payers and their members receive a flawless experience every step of the way. Headquartered in Draper, Utah, TruHearing has been recognized as a “Top Workplace” in the state for six consecutive years.

The post TruHearing Survey Reveals Untreated Hearing Loss Contributes to Mental Health Crisis appeared first on TruHearing.

DRAPER, UTAH – November 15, 2022 – Despite the life-changing benefits that hearing aids can bring to those with hearing loss, many remain hesitant when it comes to pursuing them. That hesitancy can come from a variety of factors, most notably the unfair shame and stigma that often surround hearing aids, and the lack of hearing healthcare coverage provided to US employees to help cover the cost.  

Hearing loss is an invisible challenge that takes courage to share, especially with an employer. Concerns about disclosing can take a toll on mental health, in addition to inciting fear that workplace skills will be questioned.In fact, according to a recent survey by TruHearing, the market leader in hearing healthcare benefits, prior to wearing hearing aids, the top workplace concern (56%) among those who now wear hearing aids was how their professional capabilities would be perceived by their colleagues.

Employers can help combat this stigma by incorporating hearing benefits into their traditional benefits packages and creating an environment that promotes open dialogue around hearing loss in the workplace. Not only does this support a company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) commitment, but it also removes the financial barrier that prevents so many from accessing hearing healthcare.

A common misconception is that only older people experience hearing loss. The reality is 17% of adults between the ages of 25-64 report having hearing loss and an additional 25% suspect they have hearing loss. Due to this misconception, many employers may not be aware of the number of employees who experience hearing loss, and those who do experience it may be reluctant to acknowledge it.

“Hearing loss is stigmatized as something that only impacts people later in life, which can cause many young people to put off treatment,” said Tommy Macdonald, CEO, TruHearing. “If hearing care was prioritized the same as vision care, we would see an increase in younger people pursuing treatment that is ultimately going to make their life, job, and everyday communication easier.” 

Being perceived as old was the second highest concern among employees prior to wearing hearing aids (44%), which was tied with people speculating that they had hearing loss (44%). However, after getting hearing aids, many of these concerns were eliminated, with 58% of employees indicating they no longer had any concerns in the workplace, and nearly half of these employees (49%) reported increased feelings of inclusion, which highlights the importance of providing employees with access to treatment. 

“People don’t think twice about pursuing treatment for vision problems or showing up to work with glasses, yet many of those with hearing loss continue to put off treatment despite the fact that hearing aids can help address their top concerns,” said Macdonald. “Both glasses and hearing aids enhance employee’s productivity and I hope that employers will take the necessary steps to recognize that in order to normalize hearing aids for those who need them.”

About TruHearing

TruHearing is the #1 market share leader in hearing healthcare benefits serving more than 160 million people and over 300 partners nationwide. With more than 18 years of experience, TruHearing has the expertise to create industry-leading hearing healthcare solutions customized to match the unique needs of any organization or market segment. Guided by a goal to reconnect people to the richness of life, TruHearing has developed the largest, high-quality provider network offering the most technologically advanced hearing aid selection. TruHearing delivers superlative value to ensure payers and their members receive a flawless experience every step of the way. Headquartered in Draper, Utah, TruHearing has been recognized as a “Top Workplace” in the state for six consecutive years.

The post TruHearing® Survey Reveals US Employees Fail to Prioritize Hearing Health Due to Fear of Shame and Stigma appeared first on TruHearing.

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) occurs when we are exposed to harmful noise levels such as sounds that are too loud or loud sounds heard for too long. This results in damage to the hair cells that convert the sounds we hear into electrical signals that get sent to our brain. NIHL can be caused by an extreme impulse sound, such as an explosion, or a continuous exposure to loud sounds over a period of time.

A good rule is to avoid noises that are “too loud” and “too close” or that last “too long” to avoid having NIHL. The damage to our hair cells and auditory nerves can result temporary to permanent hearing loss. Exposure to loud conditions may also lead to tinnitus – a ringing, buzzing, or roaring in your ears. In order to avoid such damage to your hearing aids it is important to wear protection such as earplugs and or earmuffs.

Click to read the full article.

Learn how TruHearing can help with your hearing health.

The post Noise Induced Hearing Loss Is Bigger Than You Think appeared first on TruHearing.

You already know the benefit that hearing aids can have in your life, so preserving the hearing you have—and preventing further hearing loss—is a top priority. If you want to make sure you preserve your hearing for years to come, here are a few steps you can take.

1) Minimize Exposure to Loud Noise

The vast majority of people with hearing loss in the US did not lose their hearing due to a single loud noise incident. Most of them simply have age-related hearing loss or presbycusis, which is the gradual loss of hearing over many years. Presbycusis is mostly due to exposure to everyday sounds over a lifetime of hearing.

To prevent further loss, it is imperative to minimize your exposure to further noises that can damage your hearing. It’s recommended that we don’t expose ourselves to noises that are louder than 85db for extended periods of time. Sporting events, lawn mowers, shooting ranges, and even regular exposure to hair dryers can contribute to hearing loss. For example, here are a few more sounds that you may encounter in everyday life that could damage your hearing:

• Motorcycle: 95db
• Woodshop: 100db
• Ambulance siren: 120db
• Firecrackers: 130db
• Jet engine: 140db

Avoiding these sounds is a great way to prevent further hearing loss. However, sometimes you have to be around loud sounds—that’s when you need protection.

2) Protect Your Hearing

Your hearing aids are great at amplifying and optimizing sounds so you can hear better. But sometimes the sounds around us are too loud, and we need to protect our hearing from them. Here are few ways you can protect your ears from loud sounds to preserve your hearing.

Standard ear plugs

The most basic form of ear protection are standard ear plugs. On the low end, cheap ear plugs can be made of foam and will only cost you a few cents at a sporting goods store. However, they aren’t meant to last for more than a few uses. Longer-lasting, more-expensive ear plugs are made of rubber or plastic and are meant to be reused. Depending on the quality and material they’re made of, these ear plugs may cost anywhere from a couple dollars to twenty dollars a pair.

Custom ear plugs

Many people who need to protect their hearing on a regular basis choose to get custom ear plugs. The advantage of custom ear plugs is that they are molded to your ears and are built to last longer and be more durable than over-the-counter ear plugs.

To get custom earplugs, you’ll need to go to an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist and have a mold made of your ear. Then the molds are shipped to a company that will create the earplugs based on your mold.

While the cost of custom earplugs can run into the hundreds of dollars, they can be a worthwhile investment if you need regular protection and want something that will last.

Ear muffs

When we say ear muffs we’re not talking about the fluffy kind that keep your ears warm in winter. Sound-blocking ear muffs look like a pair of big, over-the-ear headphones—two plastic shells joined by a headband. The inside of the shells are filled with foam and other sound dampening material to block out the loudest sounds. You can buy them at sporting goods stores, hardware stores, hunting supply stores, or firearm dealers. There are many different varieties and noise protection levels, so ear muffs can cost anywhere from ten dollars to hundreds of dollars for top-of-the line models.

3) Know Your Sound Environment

Although audiologists recommend that you avoid sounds above 85db for extended periods of time, most people can’t tell how loud sound is just by listening to it. For example, moderate city traffic is usually in the 85db range, but an everyday sound like traffic may not be a sound you consider dangerous. To know more about the sounds around you everyday, you can use a sound meter to determine safe and dangerous sound levels.

Today, because of smartphones, you can carry a sound meter in your pocket for free. The Decibel Meter app for iPhone and the Sound Meter app for Android are both free apps you can download to measure the volume level of the sounds around you every day. For a few more dollars there are other apps that may add a bit more functionality (click here to see more apps).

If you are aware of the volume of your sound environment, you’ll know when you need to avoid certain places or use hearing protection.

Your Hearing is Important

Because you already realize how important your hearing is to your quality of life, it’s time for you to protect it. Follow the tips above to protect the hearing you have, and you’ll continue to hear the sounds of everyday life for years to come.

The post 3 Ways to Slow Down Further Hearing Loss appeared first on TruHearing.

The majority of our hearing is done in the brain and not with our ears, this is why it is so important to consistently expose the brain to sound through the use of hearing aids. Yes, that is correct—the majority of our hearing is done in the brain. The ears pick up sound and deliver it to the brain. When hearing loss is present the brain is deprived of sound at a normal level (auditory deprivation). This becomes “normal hearing” to the person with hearing loss but it is not normal hearing. The brain needs to be consistently exposed to sounds at normal levels to put them into different categories as it once did. We are retraining the brain to hear again at a normal level. Unfortunately, you will never hear as well as you did when you were a teenager and the hearing loss cannot be “cured” but the hearing will be significantly improved.

Some people with hearing loss feel that their hearing is fine while they are at home or that they do not need to hear while reading the paper or watching television. They feel it is not important to hear the furnace or air conditioning running, footsteps on the floor, people moving around in the house, etc. Actually, it is very important to hear these subtle sounds. As you hear more amplified sounds you build a tolerance to the louder volume levels of sound which helps the amplified sounds seem more natural. More exposure leads to optimal performance with hearing aids. This is all done by the brain automatically without people being aware that it is happening.

Hearing loss is not only present when you go out into the noisy world. It may be more noticeable when you are in more demanding listening environments but the loss is always there. If a hearing aid wearer only wears the hearing aids occasionally, the brain has no idea what to do with all of this newly introduced noise and stimuli. This can be overwhelming and cause people to reject their hearing aids saying, “All I hear is noise”. If sound is introduced on a regular basis by wearing the hearing aids consistently, it will be more acceptable when background noise is introduced. When the hearing aids are not worn consistently the brain reverts back to the hearing loss mode which puts hearing aid wearers back to where they began—having trouble hearing. Consistent hearing aid use will help to eliminate this over-stimulation effect and sounds become very normal again. We are immersing the brain with the new sound, desensitizing it to the extraneous sounds, and allowing it to focus on listening to more important things like speech.

This whole process does not happen overnight. The more consistently hearing aids are worn, the faster all sounds, both background and foreground, will become more natural. The amount of time this process can take will vary for everyone. For this reason, wearing the hearing aids regularly throughout the day is critical to “hear” the best you can in multiple situations. There is no magic number of hours that are given to suggest that the hearing aids be worn throughout the day but they should be worn as much as possible. It is recommended to wear hearing aids all of the time; except when you are sleeping, showering, having your hair done, swimming or when in a dangerously loud environment. Be patient and give your brain a chance to adapt to all of the wonderful new sounds of life!

Learn how TruHearing can help with your hearing health.

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Tinnitus is commonly described as a constant ringing, roaring, clicking, hissing or buzzing in the ears. The sound can be soft or loud, high pitched or low pitched. You might hear it in either one or both ears. Experts estimate that 22.7 million adult Americans experienced tinnitus for more than three months, which is roughly 10 percent of the adult population of the United States.

We have found a great resource to introduce and explain about tinnitus. In this Article you will find answers too many common tinnitus questions like, “What is tinnitus? What causes tinnitus?” “What should I do if I have tinnitus?” “What treatments can help me if the sound does not go away?” “Can I do anything to prevent tinnitus or keep it from getting worse?”

Click to read full article.

Learn more about how TruHearing can help with your hearing health.

The post Tinnitus: A Constant Ringing In Your Ears appeared first on TruHearing.

From the NIH website:

“Auditory neuropathy is a hearing disorder in which sound enters the inner ear normally but the transmission of signals from the inner ear to the brain is impaired. It can affect people of all ages, from infancy through adulthood. The number of people affected by auditory neuropathy is not known, but the condition affects a relatively small percentage of people who are deaf or hearing-impaired.”

The article will give you more information on the following:

• What is auditory neuropathy?
• What causes auditory neuropathy?
• What are the roles of the outer and inner hair cells?
• Are there risk factors for auditory neuropathy?
• How is auditory neuropathy diagnosed?
• Does auditory neuropathy ever get better or worse?
• What treatments, devices, or approaches help people communicate?
• What research is being done for auditory neuropathy?
• Where can I get additional information?

Click to read the full article.

Learn more about how TruHearing can help with your hearing health.

The post Auditory Neuropathy: Hearing Without Understanding appeared first on TruHearing.

You are around damaging, loud noises more often than you think! One of the questions that I always ask my patients is “Have you ever been exposed to loud noise?” The responses I often get are “No, never”, “I don’t think so”, and occasionally I even get the response of “Yes, but not enough to cause hearing loss”. As I explore deeper into their history of noise exposure and ask if they have ever been around fireworks on the Fourth of July, ridden the L train in downtown Chicago when it goes underground, shot a gun before or been near someone while they shoot, listened to loud music on headphones, or gone to a concert, I typically discover that almost everyone has experienced most of the above.

Many times they report that those things happened so many years prior to experiencing difficulty with their hearing that they couldn’t be connected. The bad news is that all those things, in association with aging, are the reason they have hearing loss today. Sometimes it helps to give my patients an analogy that makes it easier to understand. Most of us have injured an ankle, twisted a knee, or broken a wrist. When these injuries occur in our youth our bodies are a lot like Wolverine from the X-Men and it seems as if they repair themselves overnight. We quickly forget that the injury ever happened. Then as we get older and reach the age of 60-65 our bodies start to wear down and fatigue. The same body that used to magically repair any injury overnight now gets stiff after a brisk walk and sore if you bend over to tie your shoes the wrong way. When this time of decline begins to occur the old injury that was quickly forgotten in our youth begins to sneak back up on us.

Whenever the body begins to give out, it commences to give out where the repair happened so long ago. Most of us have used or heard the phrase “The old knee injury is acting up”. This simple sentence captures perfectly the concept I am trying to explain. The same situation that occurs with the old knee injury happens with our hearing system. Those loud noise events that we encountered in our youth begin to catch up with us, and as we age and begin to wear out, our hearing system begins to wear out in the frequency pitches where it was damaged so long ago.

What loud noise does to our hearing

When we encounter loud noises, even if they are for a very brief time, they can have a permanent damaging effect on our hearing system. When a loud noise occurs it is actually a sound wave that is generated by a powerful sound source and sent through the air molecules until it reaches our ear. The sound wave travels to our eardrum through the outer ear canal and pushes it with a lot of force which causes it to retract; forcing the middle ear bones (ossicles) to also move with great mechanical force. This motion pushes all the pressure into the inner ear, which is filled with fluid. This causes something of a tidal wave in that inner ear fluid, which forces the inner ears parts and organs to move violently, which then shears off the sensitive inner hair cells. This shearing of the hair cells results in permanent damage; they cannot grow back. Even if a complete shearing of the hair cell does not occur, the trauma will eventually cause a weak spot, and, as was discussed earlier, this will inevitably result in permanent hearing loss.

The inner ear is organized “tonotopically” which means it’s organized like a piano—with certain sections dedicated to low-pitched tones and others dedicated to mid- or high-pitched tones. These are known as the frequencies. When a loud noise event occurs and the hair cells are damaged they are typically damaged in the higher frequency range, or the high-pitched tones. When the hearing system is tested, we can determine from the results with consistent accuracy if the damage was caused by loud noise damage. When this is the case it is diagnosed as a progressive high frequency hearing loss. How loud is too loud? Once we understand that sounds we didn’t think are loud enough to do damage are in fact doing damage to our sensitive hearing system, it is important to have a guideline to follow for hearing protection.

One of the most common sources of loud noise damage today is music listened to through headphones. It is very difficult to gauge how loud the music we listen to is when it comes through a headphone. The other dangers related to headphones are how close to our ear the sound is coming out, and the duration of time we spend listening to music. Listening to an IPod is something that a lot people do on a daily basis, and listening to it with the volume turned way up is also almost as common of a practice. If you have ever been able to hear the music from the headphones of someone else while at the gym or in the store, they are listening to it loud enough to do permanent damage to their hearing. A good rule of thumb while listening to headphones is that no one should be able to hear your music beyond 12 inches away from you. Apple Inc., in correlation with the OSHA standards, has set governors on their devices (IPod, IPad, etc.) so that they will not exceed an 80 dBA output, but these restrictions are easily removed through the Apple software once you get it home and load your music onto it from your computer.

Am I doomed to have hearing loss?

Most people know that as we age our hearing ability wears out and results in hearing loss. So the questions need be asked—is it a result of just getting older? Or is it associated with a lifetime of loud noises we encounter every day and have become desensitized to? Studies of indigenous populations and their hearing abilities have been performed. These studies suggest that just because we get older doesn’t mean we have to lose our hearing.

Specifically, the studies indicate that those who live secluded in the deep forests of their forefathers, who have never been exposed to our industrialized nations, don’t typically lose their hearing as they age past the years of 60-65. When they tested the hearing of individuals from these populations that were over the age of 65 they did not find that they had any progressive high frequency hearing loss, indicating that it is not just getting older that causes hearing loss, but that it is a combination of getting older and being exposed to loud noises at any point in our lives. This study gives us the promising implication that if we protect our hearing from any source of loud noise no matter how brief the duration, we do not have to expect that we will inevitably lose our hearing. If we protect our hearing by using earplugs and earmuffs there is no reason why we have to deal with the loss of our hearing in our future.

What can I do if I have hearing loss?

Since most of us have been exposed to loud noises and all of us will continue to get older, many of us may encounter hearing loss in our lifetime. The most difficult part of my job is delivering the bad news of hearing loss to my patients, but along with that I also get to inform my patients that they don’t have to live with the hearing loss. Today, hearing aids and the use of amplification can restore the majority of hearing abilities back to an individual. Hearing aids and their technology have advanced in leaps and bounds and have capabilities that were never imagined 20 years ago. When we picture the hearing aids our parents and grandparents wore we get a sick pit in our stomachs thinking we will have to wear the same type of hearing aid they had. Fortunately hearing aids today are scientifically advanced to restore hearing functionality to a normal level for most individuals, and at the same time they are smaller and more cosmetically appealing than ever.

Learn how TruHearing can help with hearing health.

The post Never Say Never When It Comes to Loud Noises appeared first on TruHearing.