By Anne Caine-Budden
In 2016 worldwide, there were 360 Million people living with hearing loss and that has risen to an estimated 466 million in 2018. That is a lot of people!
Why are people living with hearing loss? What causes hearing loss and why are people not seeking rehabilitation?
There are many contributing factors to hearing loss. In adults and older adults, 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 years have a disabling hearing loss. One of the most common causes of hearing loss in older adults is age-related hearing loss (Presbycusis). Hair cells in the cochlea become damaged due to the aging, wear-and-tear process. Age-related hearing loss is often underdiagnosed and untreated. Studies show that people living with untreated hearing loss are at greater risk for poor cognitive function and dementia. When hearing loss is detected early and rehabilitation takes place immediately the outcome is far more successful.
This is why people over the age of 40 years old should have their hearing tested and monitored to prevent these unwanted effects. SCREEN your hearing HERE on our online site.
On average it takes 10 years before someone seeks help!
10 years of depriving the brain from acoustic stimuli! Unfortunately, if you don’t use it, you lose it. When people eventually DO something about it, their brains have to work extremely hard in order to acclimatize to hearing sound again. After 10 years of one’s nerves not being used optimally, it takes time for the auditory system to adjust and become active again.
The fitting of devices to help us to hear sound properly again is not a quick fix but a journey, which takes a little time and effort. However, with determination and the proper support, our patients tell us that it is worth it! We have amazing solutions to offer people who want to treat their hearing properly.
We hear our patients tell us amazing stories once we have fitted them with hearing aids and helped them to take the journey of rehabilitation. They notice all the sounds which they have missed for too many years, and say:
“Why didn’t I do this sooner?”
See some of our patient reports here.
Other Articles for your interest:
https://goodtimes.ca/people-wait-7-years-acknowledging-hearing-loss/
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