About Hearing Loss

Over 5% of the world’s population experience some degree of hearing loss. If you have a hearing loss, you are not alone - it can happen to anybody. Because most hearing losses develop gradually, it is common not to recognize it right away. Gradually the sounds of chirping birds or rustling leaves disappear and you may not even notice. Many people do not become aware of the problem until it starts to affect speech recognition and communication.

Ten warning signs that you have hearing loss

If you experience one or more of these warning signs repeatedly, you may have a hearing loss:

1. People seem to mumble more frequently.
2. You experience ringing in your ears.
3. You often ask people to repeat themselves.
4. Your family complains that you play the radio or TV too loudly.
5. You no longer hear normal household sounds, such as the dripping of a faucet or the ringing of a doorbell.
6. You have difficulty understanding a conversation when in a large group or crowd.
7. You have trouble understanding all of the words in a conversation.
8. You find telephone conversation increasingly difficult.
9. You have trouble hearing when you have your back turned to the speaker.
10. You have been told that you speak too loudly.

If You Suspect You Have a Hearing Loss, What Should You Do?

The best thing to do is make an appointment for a hearing test with a hearing care professional. If you have a hearing loss your hearing care professional will advise you on your options for help.

Sooner is Better

The sooner you take steps to manage your hearing loss, the easier your process will be. The ability to hear resides in our brain; the longer it is deprived of sounds, the harder it is to teach it to hear those sounds again. Wearing hearing aids can prevent or reduce this negative impact.

Getting treatment can improve your quality of life dramatically:

• Greater self-confidence
• Closer relationships with loved ones
• Improved outlook on life