Aging Gracefully as Your Hearing Fades

Just as our eyes may grow weak and crow’s feet appear because our skin gets tired, our ears undergo changes as our bodies’ age, as well.  Over time, the tiny hairs located in the ears that are critical for carrying sound waves to the brain become damaged and die.  The hairs do not reproduce, and without them, it becomes increasingly hard to hear certain tones and pitches that make sound understandable to us.

According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately half of those aged 75 and older are affected by age-related hearing loss to some degree or other¹.   While there is no specific reason this type of hearing loss occurs other than simple aging, some factors may cause you to be more likely to develop it than others.  Age-related hearing loss is genetic, and chances are if your elders experienced it, you may, too.   Or, it could be the result of exposure to loud noises - such as music - throughout a lifetime.  More smokers experience age-related hearing loss than non-smokers, and even some medications can cause hearing to fade.

There are warning signs of age-related hearing loss.  At first you may find it hard to understand what people are saying, especially in noisy places.  You may experience ringing in your ears, become overly sensitive to loud noises or have difficulty distinguishing high-pitched sounds of speech.  People affected by this condition may only suffer a small degree of hearing loss, which presents little problem.  Other people lose nearly all hearing, and may even become deaf.

It is important, even though this condition is a normal part of the aging process, to consult with your doctor once you feel your hearing is diminishing.  If you are lucky, the cause of your muted hearing may simply be an impaction of wax in your ears that can easily be removed by a physician.  But, along with some medications, there are medical conditions that can cause hearing loss that need to be ruled out before blaming it on aging.

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent age-related hearing loss once it begins and there is no cure.  However, the good news is two-fold.  Age-related hearing loss progresses slowly, over time, and there are popular medical devices available, such as hearing aids and telephone amplifiers that are helpful for many people. In severe cases, cochlear implants can be used.  Although these implants do not restore hearing, they help the nearly deaf to hear sounds.  Lip reading and sign language are also tools that can be learned to allow communication in spite of hearing loss.

Losing your hearing is disappointing, but it is nothing to be embarrassed about.  Neither is using any tool available to help you transition in hearing and communicating as you age.  So, while in most cases, you can do nothing to prevent age-related hearing loss, endeavor to handle the event with dignity and grace. Embrace the change and dare to be thankful.  None of us was made to last forever.  We received the gift of life, which means that as time fades, so shall we.   Choose to do it…gracefully.

^{1 Medlineplus.com.  National Institutes on Aging.  Age-related hearing loss.  Retrieved on 4/28/11 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/
article/001045.htm.}