Hearing loss strikes older adults at high rate

Going to church was something that Imogene Tyree looked forward to every week. Listening to the minister and hearing the music brought Tyree, 79, of Madison Heights, great joy.
About three years ago, though, she noticed that she was having a hard time hearing the minister’s voice and the songs during worship.
“It’s not any fun to go to church and not hear any of it,” Tyree said.
Tyree isn’t alone. Hearing loss is prevalent in nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults age 70 years and older, according to a study by The Journals of Gerentology. For some people the loss can be merely inconvenient or just annoying, but for others it can become a problem that leads to isolation and depression.
In a report from the National Council on the Aging, it was discovered that those with untreated hearing loss were more likely to report depression, anxiety and paranoia. They were less likely to participate in organized activities. This makes diagnosing hearing loss in the elderly vitally important.
“People that do something about their hearing loss sooner, do better than those who wait until it may be too late for help,” said Dr. Douglas Cameron, audiologist at Blue Ridge Ear, Nose, Throat and Plastic Surgery in Lynchburg.
Still, for Tyree, it wasn’t until her husband needed hearing aids that she realized she might need them as well. She realized then that she had been missing out on things for more than a year.
“My son came to visit and said, ‘Mother, turn down the television.’ I had been saying that same thing to my husband,” Tyree said.
It was then that she went to see the doctors at Blue Ridge Ear, Nose, Throat and Plastic Surgery and got tested and fitted with hearing aids.
“It’s usually a spouse or family member that recognizes the hearing loss first,” Cameron said.
Having to say things repeatedly can cause a husband or wife to become frustrated with their spouse. For the person with the hearing loss, however, it is sometimes easier for them to simply nod their head and pretend to have heard what was just said than deal with the frustration of their spouse. This can lead to the person with hearing loss engaging with their spouse less and less.
Those who live alone can be affected even more by hearing loss. “If you can’t hear your phone ring or can’t hear to talk on the phone you tend to stay home more,” Tyree said. “That’s not a good thing if you live alone.” 
Cameron agrees.
“To not be able to hear, and feel isolated in a crowded restaurant is a terrible thing. So people stop going out.” This can lead to feelings of depression. Sometimes it can be simple problems such as too much wax in the ear that can cause a person’s hearing loss, but it can also be a loss that requires hearing aids. According to Cameron, “it is better to just get it checked out.”
It can take time to get used to wearing hearing aids, and Cameron recommends to his patients that they try to wear them for at least a month before they decide if hearing aids are right for them.
“It’s a process,” he said. “It’s not just, ‘here’s your hearing aids.’”
Those who ultimately decide to use their hearing aids can go from a world where sounds and voices they recognized and loved have faded away to a world where they can embrace those sounds and engage with loved ones again.
Tyree puts it best, though.
“Hearing aids have really helped me,” she said.  “I’m thankful.”