Hearing loss affects millions globally. While often associated with older adults, it is not confined to any age group. Some individuals are born with little to no hearing, while others experience significant hearing impairment from birth. Hearing loss can also occur early in life due to illness, injury, wear and tear, or other factors. Additionally, genetics can influence the likelihood of hearing loss, particularly as one age.
As such, it’s a good idea to take a look at the steps we can take to manage hearing loss, to diagnose and treat it early, and to stop it from affecting our quality of life as best as possible.
Step One: Prevention
Some causes of hearing loss are unavoidable. Individuals born without hearing cannot regain it, though some can benefit from tools like cochlear implants. Age-related and genetic hearing loss cannot be prevented, and certain illnesses or injuries that lead to hearing loss are also beyond control. There is a lot that can be done to protect your ears from hearing loss, otherwise. However. For instance, you can limit their exposure to loud noise, either by avoiding it entirely, or by wearing the appropriate hearing protection when going to concerns the firing range, or working in loud environments.
Step Two: Detection
The best way to go forward when you think that you might be experiencing the signs of hearing loss is to make an appointment with your audiologist for a hearing test. A hearing test is a simple, painless, and non-invasive method to assess your hearing ability. During the test, you will sit in a soundproof room and wear headphones. An audiologist will play various sounds, and you will press a button each time you hear one.
Step Three: Treatment
Hearing tests can give you a comprehensive idea of the range of your hearing health. If you are found to be experiencing hearing loss, then your audiologist is most likely to recommend hearing aids as a treatment. Innovations in hearing aid design have made these devices smaller, more powerful, clearer in sound quality, and more suited to a wide range of lifestyle needs than ever. Work with your audiologist to select the device that works best to your needs and the impact on your quality of life can be immediate.
Step Four: Management
It’s important to acknowledge that, when it comes to hearing loss, it affects more than just your hearing. The real reasons we need to look after our hearing include our mental, emotional, and cognitive health. As such, there are steps you can take to mitigate the impacts that hearing loss might have on your life. You can, for instance, improve your ability to communicate and connect with others by helping them learn habits that can make it easier for you to understand them, and vice versa. You can also look at adaptations you can make to the home, such as alarms that are designed to catch your attention even when you can’t hear them.
There is a lot that can be done to manage hearing loss, no matter what step of the journey you are on, along the way. The tips above should help you find the next best step for your own needs.
