Hearing Loss due to age is the most common form of sensorineural hearing loss. Currently in Australia 1 in six suffer hearing loss but by 2050 this will increase to one in four as we are living longer, healthier and happier lives. The incidence of hearing loss steps up with each decade of life such that the average 70 year old has a 70% chance of requiring hearing aids.
Common problems associated with hearing loss are the television being turned up too loud, failure to hear the indicators in the car, difficulties hearing in background noise and difficulty following conversations.
Hearing aids can help considerably by amplifying signals of interest and suppressing noise. The technology has advanced enormously in the last ten years with acoustic feedback and occlusion affects essentially being eliminated. Further, the old thick tubing and moulds are now mostly replaced by a thin invisible wire and miniature loudspeaker in the canal rendering high fidelity sound to the ear.
Sufferers of hearing loss should act early and seek advice as to what their options are. One's quality of life can be improved dramatically by reversing the tendency to want to stay at home for fear of being unable to follow conversations.
