Are you surprised to learn that hearing loss is about more than just your ears? Ears are the tools of hearing, so the harm done to them because of aging, trauma or illness is why someone can not hear, but did you know there’s more to it than that The loss of one’s hearing bleeds into a number of other aspects of their life. It’s a dramatic change for somebody who has always had the ability to hear. Consider some ways that hearing loss has a extensive impact on more than just the ears.
Earning Potential
A 2006 report published by the Australian company Access Economics states there is a connection between earning potential and hearing. They discovered that an individual with hearing loss could potentially make about 25 percent less than the ones that do hear, but why?
There are a lot of things that could affect earnings. Somebody who works with no hearing assistance device like a hearing aid might miss out on weighty information. They might show up for a business meeting at 4 if it was really at 2 pm, for instance. Managers tend to value those with keen attention to detail, and that’s a challenge when you can not hear the details.
Work environments can be noisy and crazy, too. A individual with hearing loss can quickly become confused with that noise around them. They’ll struggle to talk on the phone, to listen to clients and to understand what coworkers are saying because in a noisy environment the background sounds like clicking keyboards or an air conditioner vent become pronounced.
Relationships
Some of the very same problems at work become a problem at home. Hearing loss has the potential to cause conflict, particularly when the person with the problem continues to deny it. Little things like saying “what” a lot during conversations and turning the TV up too loud irritate friends, family members, and spouses.
They may try to intervene and encourage this individual to recognize their hearing loss, which leads to friction, as well. It is extremely common for someone with hearing loss to detach themselves and refuse to go out and spend some time with other people. They struggle to keep up with conversations, so that they so what the can to avoid them.
Mental Health Concerns
The problems at work and house take a toll on mental health over time. A 2014 study conducted by the U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders discovered a cause and effect relationship between hearing loss and melancholy. Their study indicates an increased risk of depression, especially among women and individuals under the age of 70. Their risk of depression goes from 5 percent to about 11 percent with hearing loss.
A second study from the Senior Research Group suggests that the chance of mental health issues including depression, anxiety and paranoia goes up when a person with hearing loss doesn’t use hearing aids. The study participants who did not wear hearing aids reported everything from feelings of sadness to sudden fits of anger more frequently than those that did wear them.
Safety Issues
Safety is always an issue for the hearing impaired. Most security systems, while it is a smoke or carbon monoxide detector or a perimeter alert, work based on sound. They emit a high-frequency noise if there is a danger. Even people with slight hearing loss can have difficulty hearing high pitched tones.
Personal security becomes a problem when a person with hearing loss spans the street or drives a car, too. Sound serves to signal problems like a car coming down the street or a horn honking.
Cognitive Functioning
Medical science has made a link between cognitive decline and hearing loss. It’s not clear why people with hearing loss have a higher risk of dementia. The current theory is that the mind struggles to listen and to compensate, it robs other vital functions like memory.
A 2011 study conducted by Johns Hopkins Medicine found that someone with minor hearing loss is twice as likely to develop dementia. Moderate hearing loss increases the risk by three times and a person with severe hearing impairment is five times more likely to get Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Hearing health is just 1 factor in memory loss conditions, but it’s an important one.
When someone has hearing loss, it is true there is likely something wrong with their ears, but that’s just where it begins. The fantastic news is that getting help in the kind of hearing aids and other treatment choices reduces the risk of mental health problems, dementia and the different issues associated with hearing decline.