get the facts
Common Hearing loss myths

Myth 1: When people don't hear well, it probably means they're becoming senile.
The truth: Hearing losses have a variety of causes, but have nothing to do with senility. However, a failure to get proper treatment can most likely lead to communication problems and hence social isolation.

Myth 2: If you speak more loudly, you will be heard.
The truth: This widely held view about hearing loss is not entirely true. Loudness does not equal clarity. Although soft sounds need to be amplified before they are heard, loud sounds can be uncomfortable and physically intolerable at intensities which do not bother a normal hearing person. For this reason, raising your voice to a H.O.H. (Hard Of Hearing) listener may cause distortion of speech and even physical discomfort.

Myth 3: When someone is H.O.H., that just means that sounds are not loud enough for them to hear.
The truth: That's part of it. Perhaps a person may have trouble hearing in crowds or group conversations. Perhaps they hear but don't always understand. Words may seem to be mumbles or run together. Often times a H.O.H. person has different degrees of severity of hearing loss at different frequencies. Unfortunately, often times the nerve cells which deal with the clarity of speech are the most impaired.

Myth 4: Hearing problems are rare.
The truth: Well over 10% of the population has a hearing loss. Unfortunately, many people do not confront the challenge head-on. It's not a shame to wear a hearing aid, but more so to lose touch with the people close to and around you.

Myth 5: Sensorineural hearing loss occurs equally across all frequencies.
The truth: Some hearing losses are evenly spread across the frequency spectrum. These are called flat losses. The majority of hearing losses are more impaired in the high frequencies than the low frequencies. These are called sloping losses. Another, less common type of hearing loss is a reverse loss, where the low frequency scores are higher than the high frequency scores. This is often hereditary or caused by measles or mumps at a young age, among other causes.

Myth 6: Hearing aids should work for me in any situation.
The truth: While it is true that hearing aids help to improve one's overall hearing and communication, they may not benefit in every situation. If a person's hearing loss has been neglected for too long before seeking help, their brain has lost touch with certain sounds, and that is permanent and irreparable.

Myth 7: Hearing disorders only affect the elderly.
The truth: More than half of the people with reduced hearing are under the age of 65. Hearing loss can affect people of all ages.

Myth 8: Hearing aids did not work for someone I know, so they won't work for me.
The truth: Adjustment to amplification is a process which can take many months. People who have realistic expectations and who do not expect complete restoration of their natural hearing, but who are willing to wear their hearing aids in order to become used to the new sounds will enjoy the benefit of improved communication. However, people who try their hearing aids for one or two weeks and give up on them quickly because they were expecting perfection will never receive any benefit. As with any endeavor, people only get out of hearing aids what they are willing to put into it.

Myth 9: Hearing aids correct hearing 100%.
The truth: Wrong. Hearing aids are not designed to correct or restore normal hearing completely. Hearing loss is permanent. Hearing aids can only enhance what residual hearing capability a person has left. The longer a person waits to address their hearing deficiency, the less likely that person is to gain their communication skills back through amplification.

Myth 10: Hearing aids are too expensive to get a really good hearing aid.
The truth: You get what you pay for. While medical devices are expensive, the very best technology is well within reach for someone who is motivated to correct their communication deficiency. Any way you look at it, a hearing aid may be the best investment you can make.

Myth 11: I've heard that my particular hearing loss "can't be helped".
The truth: In most cases nerve deafness can be helped through proper frequency specific amplification from a sophisticated device. Technology has advanced tremendously in the hearing healthcare sector. With the proper technology, there is now hope for those who have been told before that they could not be helped.

identifying hearing loss
symptoms and evaluation

Common Symptoms

• Trouble understanding speech that originates far away, such as in concert halls, theatres or churches
• Difficulty hearing a phone ring
• Difficulty hearing when in a group of people or in the presence of background noise, such as traffic
• Avoiding social gatherings and other public occasions where they might feel embarrassed about misunderstanding others
• Asking you or others to repeat themselves because they have trouble understanding what is being said
• Turning their head or cupping their ear to focus on a certain sound or speaker
• Watching television or listening to the radio at a much louder volume than you or others normally do

Hearing Evaluation

Results of the audiometric evaluation are plotted on a chart called an audiogram. Loudness is plotted from top to bottom. Frequency, from low to high, is plotted from left to right. Hearing loss is measured in decibels and is described in general categories not in percentages. The general hearing loss categories used by most hearing professionals are as follows:

• normal = 0dB–20dB
• mild = 21dB–40dB
• moderate = 41dB–70dB
• severe = 71dB–90dB
• profound = 91dB+