Some Interesting and Rather Shocking Information & Stats About Hearing Loss

RSS

I have become a bit of an evangelist about hearing loss and the importance of getting our hearing checked and doing something about it, if required. So, I asked Ellen Ma, my audiologist at Resonate, if she would send me some information about hearing loss that I could share with you, and here’s what she sent…

HEARING LOSS SUMMARY

Hearing loss (HL) affects around 1 in 6 people in New Zealand (880,000+)
Expected to increase to 1 in 4 by 2025
Aging population
HL at a younger age
27% of Year 9s have a HL in NZ
Costing the economy up to $700 million a year
Funding for devices
Disability services
Loss of ability to work
Loss of independence
Tinnitus affects up to 240,000 New Zealanders
Costing up to $3.5 billion in lost productivity and health care costs
70% of hearing aid users do not wear aids daily!

IMPACT OF HEARING LOSS - COGNITION

Hearing loss is currently the single most modifiable risk factor for dementia (published in lancet- UK medical journal, only medical journal that is recognised globally)

We hear with our ears but it’s our brain that helps us decipher the sounds we have heard. The danger of hearing loss is that it is very slow and gradual, it is one of the only health problems where people know they have a hearing loss and continue to let it get worse.

Due to this, by the time clients come in to see me for hearing assessment or aids it has usually been a good 10-20 years living with hearing loss, and that is a very long time where the listening part of the brain is not getting enough sound stimulation.

And just like other health issues, the longer you leave it, the worse it gets, the longer the rehabilitation process.

Hearing aids are essential, because not only do they help us hear better, they also help keep the listening part of our brain stimulated, and most importantly they keep us connected to the people that love us.

We have all heard the saying “eyes are the window to our soul”, well I say “our ears are the gateway to our minds.”

BALANCE- hearing organ and balance organ all connected

TINNITUS - 80% of individuals with hearing loss will experience tinnitus. The best management therapy is using hearing aids to help mask tinnitus and provide sound stimulation back into the brain.

SLEEP - There is a relationship between sleep and hearing loss. Untreated hearing loss for a prolonged period of time can result in poorer sleep quality and vice versa, long standing sleep problems can result in hearing loss.

Namaste

Michelle & Ellen

← Next Post Previous Post →