The average age for accessing hearing health care is 79. The median age to suffer from hearing impairment is 65. Clearly more needs to be done to lift the stigma of hearing loss, provide readily accessible help and spread awareness about the options that are out there.
If you want to get an even clearer sense of the scale of the problem, consider this: 8,000 50-59 year olds surveyed reported some degree of reduction quality of life as a result of hearing loss. This figure more than triples to 25,000 for those aged 60-69. This is strong evidence for the dramatic reduction in quality of life that happens when the initial onset of hearing loss symptoms is ignored, not only but the sufferer, but those who should be helping them.
Something as simple as the need to have the TV up a couple of settings louder all of a sudden isn’t necessarily ‘just a part of growing old’. There are plenty of jokes that have been made over the years about those suffering from hearing loss, but are those types of attitudes really helpful in 2022? Are they not trivialising the issue and making those who suffer hearing loss feel like they’re just making a fuss by searching for specialist intervention? This will vary from individual to individual, but it’s certainly one of several interlinked factors that are causing the delay between the onset of hearing loss and seeking the required treatment.
There is also something of a prevailing attitude that hearing loss is ‘just one of those things’ and that ‘nothing can be done about it’ which is simply not the case. The latest figures show that in Australia 95% of all hearing loss issues can be improved with the simple addition of a digital hearing aid. This leaves only 5% of the population likely needing some degree of surgical intervention.
If you or a loved one are suffering from hearing loss, it’s likely you will be able to see an improvement in your quality of life by speaking to a specialist about a hearing aid. And if it turns out that a hearing aid can’t help right now, you’ll be redirected to a more specialist treatment that will help you address the symptoms you’re suffering from.
Seeking treatment is something that needs to work both ways. With increased outreach and information, organisations can certainly play their part in making sure sufferers know when and where they can access the help they need.
Last modified: May 20, 2022
