Staying Fit
Adapted from AARP’s Hearing Loss for Dummies, by Frank Lin, M.D., and audiologist Nicholas Reed
As clinicians, we’re used to hearing all sorts of wacky stuff about hearing, which often stems from the public not having access to clear, easily accessible information on hearing loss. Read on for some of the most common myths we’ve encountered when talking to our patients and in the broader media.
1. Hearing loss is just part of getting older, so it can’t be that important
There’s a tendency to dump hearing loss into the same category as graying hair and wrinkles: an inevitable and innocuous process that comes with aging. In contrast, we make high blood pressure — another condition that often comes with aging — a priority, understanding the impact that it can have on strokes and heart attacks.
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Over the past 10 years, researchers have come to understand that hearing loss has objective and significant effects on our health and well-being, including our social relationships, risk of falls, depression, and risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Hearing and communicating have an impact on everything we do. Most importantly, clinicians and researchers believe that addressing hearing loss through the communication strategies and technologies we discuss in Hearing Loss for Dummies can make a difference in helping keep us engaged and healthy.
2. My hearing is fine; it’s just that everyone is mumbling
Speech that comes across as mumbling is exactly what hearing loss sounds like. Hearing loss develops as the inner ear (cochlea) ages and can no longer send clear signals to the brain. To our brains, this sounds exactly as if people are mumbling all the time. Some situations are better (or worse) than others. Talking in a quiet room with someone sitting close and face-to-face with you, you’ll notice far fewer issues with your hearing loss than in settings with background noise or a speaker who is far away.