No need to turn a deaf ear.

No Need to Turn a Deaf Ear

Courtesy of the
Hearing Foundation of Canada

There are two types of hearing loss and recognizing and admitting to them, can be difficult.

Young or old, anybody suffering from hearing loss can testify to the frustration and unhappiness often brought on by silence.

Yet most of us take our hearing for granted, in spite of the fact the ear and its mechanics are both quite complex.

Unfortunately there are many who do not have this kind of mechanical efficiency. They suffer from one of two types of hearing loss, known as conductive and sensorineural.

Only 5 per cent of the population suffers from conductive hearing loss, due possibly to impacted cerumen (ear wax), punctured eardrum, birth defects, otitis media, or heredity. Severe head trauma and otosclerosis can also cause conductive hearing loss. Otosclerosis is often a hereditary condition in which the tiny bones of the middle ear - the malleus, incus, and stapes - no longer transmit sound properly. Surgery may be an appropriate therapy for conductive hearing loss.

Sensori-neural can be caused by prenatal and birth-related problems, viral and bacterial infections (respiratory infections, measles, meningitis, etc.), heredity, trauma, excessive exposure to loud noises, use of ototoxic drugs (including aspirin,) or a benign tumor in the inner ear. But sensori-neural hearing loss is most often simply a natural phenomenon of aging.

The latter condition is called presbycusis, and it results in the inability to understand what is being said more than a perceived loss in volume. It is caused by degeneration or damage to the miscroscopic hair cell receptors or cilia in the cochlea, causing irreversible hearing loss. In the vast majority of patients, these hair cells will function well if stimulated more vigorously with amplified sounds. Approximately 95 per cent of those who can no longer hear well suffer from sensori-neural hearing loss. It is usually treated by the use of a hearing aid and generally cannot be corrected through surgery or medicine.

There are many symptoms of hearing loss in both adults and children. For adults, the signs may include facing the speaker in order to hear better; finding it difficult to understand what is being said in a group when there is background noise; group conversations gradually becoming more difficult to follow; people seeming to be mumbling or talking too quickly, and having to favour one ear over the other.

Often those afflicted will find themselves retreating from social circles, avoiding meetings, groups and parties, since they are no longer as rewarding as before.

In children the symptoms vary, particularly during the first two years. It is estimated by hearing specialists - called audiologists - that one out of every 1,000 babies born in Canada has a significant hearing loss, including profound deafness. Therefore, early detection is extremely important. Experts say the first six months are most crucial. At six months the signs of hearing loss may include the baby not awakening or stirring as a result of nearby noise while sleeping; not making babbling or cooing sounds; the baby’s head not turning from side to side in order to seek out sounds.

At a year old, a child should be repeating sounds others make while turning in any direction to find sound or someone speaking. If they’re not doing these things, it might indicate hearing loss. By two years of age a child should be able to point to parts of his or her body when told to, without seeing your lips, and to give a toy when asked. If a child suffers from hearing loss at two years and beyond, speech may sound different or less clear, words may be missing endings and short words may not even be heard. Again these are signs the child may not be hearing properly.

The psychological effects of hearing loss are detrimental in the extreme. Hearing loss is an invisible disability. People whose hearing is impaired live in a world where others, including their families, expect them to hear normally. Patients with hearing loss may find themselves ridiculed, ignored, or the constant target of anger from family and friends as well as from strangers. Patients may even deny the existence of the problem, all the while becoming more and more confounded by the inability to understand conversation. Trying to cope as if nothing were wrong places them under a great deal of stress. Their nerves and energy are taxed because they must constantly monitor whether they are speaking too softly or too loudly. They must strain to hear conversation and frequently depend upon lip reading. It is no wonder that people with hearing loss eventually decide that they can no longer tolerate social activities. They may withdraw, first from friends and later from their families.

None of this need be the case. With the latest technology available, steps now can be taken to enhance life, whether entailing the use of hearing aids or possible surgery, depending on the patient’s needs and what is deemed practical.

Among the health professionals on hand to help are speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Both evaluate and treat people who have speech, language or hearing disorders. Speech-language pathologists help individuals to overcome and prevent communication problems in language, speech, voice and fluency, while audiologists assess the extent of hearing loss, balance and related disorders and recommend appropriate treatment. Referrals are made by family doctors, public health nurses, infant development specialists, pre-school teachers or social workers. Self-referrals can also be made.