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Research Supports Hearing Aid Effectiveness Dr. David J. Demko, Gerontologist and Editor
AgeVenture News Service 08-14-03

"Can you hear me, NOW?" We all recognize that familiar phrase from the cell phone commercial because it's repeated over and over and over again. Why? Because it's an effective phrase. Welcome to the Information Age. Communication is King. Whenever, one person is unable to understand what someone else is trying to communicate, people go stark, raving crazy. You've seen it all before. Cell phones thrown out of car windows. Movie patrons repeating instant-replays of the screen action and dialog for their hearing impaired companions. Restaurant dinner scenes where couples scream at each other ... because one of them is NOT following the dinner conversation because he cannot HEAR or chooses not to LISTEN ... or both. They're frustrated, and everyone around them is annoyed. Thank goodness, help is on the way.

Sure there are already legions of hearing aid purveyors offering to deliver the spoken word into your ear with startling clarity. And, believe it or not. Most hearing aids do just that ... if, you are astute enough to understand the nature of your hearing loss.

Most people associate hearing loss with advanced age ... even a sign that you are getting "old". The word for this type of hearing loss is called "presbycusis". That's Latin. Presby means elder, and cusis means sound. So, presbycusis is hearing loss associated with advanced age. If you're 50-plus and experiencing hearing loss, congratuations, you're normal. Welcome to the growing club of 92 million adults facing presbycusis.

Presbycusis is normal and treatable. Unfortunately, most adults don't understand how to cope. Men, especially, experience the type of presbycusis which erodes the ability to hear high-frequency sounds, like a child's voice or a door bell. On the other hand, low-frequency sounds such as a distant conversation or background music can be heard without difficulty. This explains why many adults HEAR background noise (the sound of a TV in the next room, or a distant conversation) with greater clarity than the words spoken by a speaker standing right next to them.

In order to identify hearing loss, the Speech for the Deaf Foundation recommends watching for the following signs.

Easily distracted by background noise (music, conversation, traffic).
Difficulty communicating with others over the telephone.
Accusing others of mumbling or speaking too softly.
Frequent need to turn up the volume on TV or radio.
Responding inappropriately to verbal requests or questions.
Here are a few communication tips that AgeVenture's editor, Dr. David J. Demko recommends for use by individuals who live or work with persons who are hearing impaired.

Make sure you have the person's attention before speaking.
Face the person before speaking.
Speak slowly and clearly.
Supplement your message with non-verbal cues and gestures.
Instead of raising your voice, learn to rephrase your questions or comments.
Be patient. Allow the person time to comprehend and respond to your message.
Learn to express yourself using sign-language.
Here's the point. There are a number of ways to help the hearing impaired so they won't be frustrated, stressed, or retreat into self-imposed social-isolation. On the technological front, recent clinical trials by Siemens Hearing Instruments offer hope for raising the quality of life for the hearing impaired.

Thomas Powers, Ph.D., Siemens director of Audiology and Strategic Development said, 95 percent of those age 62 years and older understood speech in noisy situations on par with younger people age 18-29 years with the use of a new TRIANO hearing aid. "Older individuals with significant hearing loss understood speech in environments with background noise just like young college students with normal hearing.”

In the past, the perception has been that hearing aids didn’t provide much assistance in difficult, noisy listening situations. Siemens designed TRIANO to address this primary complaint of people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. “This is extremely encouraging news for the millions of people suffering from hearing loss who have problems understanding speech in difficult listening situations," says Dr. Powers.

“The advances in hearing technology, such as in TRIANO, proved that there is significant benefit in wearing hearing aids,” explained Dr. Powers. “We can’t make your wrinkles go away, but we can help you hear speech like you were 25 again.” For details about the study, and the availability of assistive hearing devices, visit Siemens on-line at: www.siemens-hearing.com

See related articles on travel in AgeVenture's Lifestyle section.
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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Dr. Demko reports on lifestyle issues and trends in Aging America. Submit comments to: demko@demko.com This column may be used, free-of-charge, by print and broadcast media
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