Coping With Hearing Loss

By Hedrick Lepsch


A family sits at a picnic table at the county fair. Grandma, mom, dad, Aunt Sally, college graduate Jack and his wife Megan, high school junior Jill, and Jack and Megan's two-year old daughter Emily. Little Emily is psyched up by all the sights and sounds: the band playing at the pavilion, children screaming on rides, sheep bleating, the Slurpee machine grinding, and popcorn popping.

This is the first research to come out to show that auditory hair cells can be regrown. "It is possible to regenerate hair cells, and that's something that had not been possible before," said Albert Edge of Harvard Medical School, who led the study.

Dad and Aunt Sally are talking a little loudly, trying to hear each other over the ruckus of the band and other noises. Aunt Sally wants to pay the dinner bill, but of course, her stubborn brother will have none of it. The people at the next table glance over occasionally to see the progression of their rather loud argument.

There are also other tools such as visual alarms that can be used instead of auditory warnings. These can be used as part of your alarm clock, or even your fire alarm and other important warnings that hearing people often take for granted. Even without hearing aids, there are plenty of things you can do to maximize your understanding. Some of these options are as simple as letting the person you are speaking with know of your difficulty.

Scientists tested the drug on a group of deaf mice over a period of 3 months. Scientists applied the drug inside the mice's inner ears, and by the end of the trial, the mice regained 20% of their hearing. Scientists caution that the drug is not yet ready for use on humans. There may be possible side effects that we don't know of yet, and other treatments-such as cochlear implants-are still more economically practical.

Megan and Jack are fine as well. Perhaps they've listened to a little too much loud music in their youth, but they still manage to hear each other whispering in close proximity. But as we skip a generation up to Mom, Dad and Aunt Sally, we start to see the hearing degradation. Dad and/or Aunt Sally might not even realize that their hearing has declined over the years. It's a subtle thing that can be blamed on other peoples' mumbling or the fickleness of volume controls on phones and TVs. And then we have Grandma. It's clear that she struggles with hearing loss, but she hasn't bothered to get much help. Offended by the idea that she needs hearing aids (that's for old people, missy!), she has let her hearing deteriorate unimpeded.

What grandma (and her family) should realize, is that hearing loss can start early. Hearing aids are not shameful, but can save you from a lot of misfortune. Missing important information at work, not hearing whispered sweet nothings from your significant other, and even missing the beeps of alarms can put at risk success, happiness, and safety. No matter what age you are, be wary of the signs of hearing loss and get treated quickly! The sooner you do, the better condition you will be in. Get yourself some invisible hearing aids, install captioned telephone service or hearing loss phones. You, and everyone around you, will be glad you did!




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