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If you are starting to lose your hearing, don't be too embarrassed to get something done about it. Woman's World asked the RNID for their advice.
Over 250,000 people have made use of the telephone hearing check developed by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) since its launch in December 2005. Yet, says the charity, when you consider there are four million people in the UK who could benefit from wearing a hearing aid, but who are doing nothing about it, this take-up needs to dramatically increase.
Susan Osborne, Director of RNID's Breaking the Sound Barrier campaign, which aims to change attitudes towards hearing loss and hearing aids, says: "Hearing loss can have a profound impact on our lives, leaving many people feeling isolated and out of touch with their friends and family."
With growing concern that life is getting louder and social noise is on the increase, RNID, the national charity representing the UK's nine million deaf and hard of hearing people, is calling for a revolution in people's thinking about hearing loss. More than 40 per cent of over-50s are experiencing some level of hearing loss, yet MORI research shows embarrassment prevents people with hearing difficulties seeking help.
Having problems with your sight is no longer embarrassing: glasses are trendy with designer brand names. Celebrities and newsreaders alike no longer worry what the world will think of them if they wear glasses. Hearing aids are a different matter. Usually made in unattractive flesh-coloured plastic they signify old age and disability in most people's minds. This was the main reason behind the HearSay exhibition held last year at the V&A to look at radical new designs for the future.
"Really there should be no reason why hearing aids can't be disguised as trendy Bluetooth or iPod ear-pieces," says Geoff McKormick of Alloy Product Designs, a company that came up with just such a design for a hearing aid and is now looking for investors to develop the aids.
Alloy talked to users and non-users, some young, some old, some profoundly deaf, others with only partial hearing loss. They found two key barriers to getting an aid: the stigma associated with medical devices, and a difficult and lengthy acquisition process, exacerbated by the need for a precise ear mould. Their 'ear anchor' concept would do away with the need for a custom-made ear mould and enable people to buy hearing aids more quickly and cheaply off the high street.
Today an iPod - tomorrow a hearing aid?
The MP3 generation risk damage to their hearing through long-term use of personal music players at high volume. Whereas a generation ago, people began to go deaf in their 60s or 70s, deafness is increasingly seen today as young as 40, according to Deafness Research UK. In fact, just five minutes a day at full blast on an iPod can cause irrevocable hearing damage, according to Harvard researchers.
Loud noise kills off hair cells in the ears that pick up sounds and help to process them. These cells gradually die anyway in old age, but exposure to loud noises accelerates hearing loss.
As a rule of thumb, if the music is uncomfortable for you to listen to then it's too loud. In fact, if you can't hear external sounds when you've got your headphones on it's probably too loud. Take regular breaks from your headphones to give your ears a rest. Turn down the volume a notch - even a small reduction in volume can make a big difference to the risk of damage to your hearing. Even better, try using additions to in-ear headphones that shut out the background noise, so you don't need to turn the volume up so high.
Keep your distance from speakers at concerts and festivals. Better still, use earplugs to reduce the sound level that reaches your ears. Musicians can get special earplugs.
Things you should know
- A build-up of wax can affect hearing so ask at your GP surgery to have it cleared.
- As well as the dangers posed by MP3 players, using a hairdryer on the most powerful setting every day could also affect your hearing in the long-term - hairdressers take note.
- Wear earplugs or earmuffs for DIY jobs that involve using noisy equipment. For discomfort during air travel, use special earplugs called AirPlanes.
- Never poke anything in your ears - this includes cotton wool buds and fingers - and do not use eardrops unless your GP or a specialist has prescribed them.
- If you have any problems with your ears always ask your doctor for advice. Untreated infections can cause irreparable damage.
- Employers have a legal duty to reduce noise and protect their employees from the harmful effects of noise at work.
Hearing aid costs mount up
Although the Government has promised improvement, there are still long waiting times for NHS hearing aid services. Before you start to investigate buying a hearing aid privately, however, here are a few things to bear in mind.
First, don't expect hearing aids to restore perfect hearing. They make sounds louder and should be programmed by the dispenser so that you can hear comfortably - but they will not necessarily make everything crystal clear, however good the technology may be. When you lose your hearing as you get older, your ears can't pick up quiet sounds, particularly if they are high-pitched, but your ears also lose their fine-tuning so that even the sounds you can hear may be rather fuzzy. Hearing aids can help enormously but it takes time and practice in different everyday situations to get the best from them.
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