7 Tips for Coping With Hearing Loss on the Job

It's a problem the workplace has tried to ignore: hearing loss among the millions of boomers still on the job.

According to the Pew Research Center, about 45 million boomers — ages 51 to 70 — were in the labor force as of the first quarter of 2015. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that, by 2022, nearly a third of those ages 65 to 74 will be in the workforce.

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But 1 in 6 boomers are affected by hearing loss, meaning an estimated 7 million boomers may struggle with hearing loss on the job.

How is the workplace going to cope with this? So far, by ignoring it. Very few workplaces offer accommodations for those with hearing loss.

For instance, company-wide meetings might be held in rooms equipped with hearing loops or with both an ASL interpreter and real-time captioning. Few businesses provide these accommodations. Audiologist Juliette Sterkens, who is the Hearing Loss Association of America's hearing loop advocate, thinks hearing loss is an invisible problem in the workplace.

Most employers, she said in an email, "are unaware that their employees struggle" with hearing loss.

And that hurts both employers and workers, reports Marketwatch.com. A survey of more than 1,500 employees by EPIC Hearing Healthcare, a hearing benefits provider, found that nearly 1 in 3 employees suspected they had a hearing problem but had not sought treatment. The survey also found that of those with untreated hearing loss, nearly all (95 percent) reported that this affected their job. Among the most common complaints was being unable to understand a conversation, especially if there was background noise, and having trouble hearing over the phone.

For now, it falls on you — the hearing-diminished boomer — to hold your own. Here are some tips:

Get hearing aids

Only about 20 percent of people who would benefit from a hearing aid actually use one, says the National Institutes of Health. Granted, most company insurance plans do not pay for hearing aids, nor does Medicare, but the investment could be worth it if it means being able to perform your job well — or even keep it.

If you can't afford hearing aids, try a PSAP

In-ear amplifiers or personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) can cost only one-tenth as much as the average hearing aid and don't require a prescription. They are very effective for those with mild to moderate hearing loss.