What you should know about the growing hearing loss epidemic
The statistics are alarming. About 800 million people around the world suffer from some form of hearing loss. Here in Australia, hearing loss affects approximately 3.55 million people of all ages. That is about one in six Australians. With an ageing population this is predicted to increase to one in four people by 2050.
The World Health Organisation lists hearing loss as the number one sensory disability in the world and the third most prevalent chronic health condition facing older adults. It is coming to the point where hearing loss is reaching epidemic proportions.
While gradual hearing loss is normal as we age, the process is being sped up by our continual exposure to noises. Repeated exposure to loud sounds over time, like machinery at work or listening to loud music through earphones, can and has deafened people. It is fast becoming the most common cause of hearing loss accounting for 37 per cent of cases in Australia.
But as we all know hearing loss becomes more common the older we get. Over the years our ears, like the rest of our bodies, “wear and tear” means that the likelihood of experiencing hearing loss increases with age. Approximately one in three Australians between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing.
Complicating matters is age-related hearing loss that occurs gradually and so it can be hard to identify. It’s more than being able to hear sounds loudly enough. For some people, it might be that soft sounds can’t be heard or parts of speech might not be audible. Or it might be that separating sounds may be difficult and hearing may be slightly distorted. It is often the case that other people notice the loss before the person who has it so take heed of any comments by family members and friends.
Even when people have identified a hearing problem only one in five people who need help actually seek treatment. Many feel embarrassed and tend to delay treatment until the condition has worsened to the point they cannot communicate in the quietest situations. This is astonishing considering how widely accepted it is to check our eyes and combat deteriorating eyes.
Don’t wait until your hearing begins to fade. It is more common than you think and there is help out there. Take some action now and get your hearing checked. Don’t let hearing loss become part of your future.