The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) was founded in 1926 with the mission to advocate for people with communication disabilities while promoting the interests of professionals in audiology, speech–language pathology, and speech and hearing science. They designated the month of May to be Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM) as a way to raise awareness about hearing and speech problems. The means that the month of May is a time to analyze your own hearing and speech, and to take action if you suspect there is even the slightest issue. Each year, BHSM has a theme and this year’s is Building Connections.
Building Connections
Hearing is the cornerstone for communication. While many believe that hearing loss as an ear issue, the consequences of this condition are far-reaching. Currently in the US alone 48 million people are affected by hearing loss and this number is projected to rise. Undiagnosed hearing loss not only makes it hard to hear but the real impact is that it makes it difficult to build connections. If you have found yourself struggling to hear the people in your life and you think it’s not a big issue, think again. When you have to ask people to repeat themselves regularly or worse, pretend to hear what they said, it can build rifts in personal and professional relationships and make connections strained.
Strained Relationships with Untreated Hearing Loss
Humans are social creatures, and our relationships help us feel connected, engaged and excited about our lives. When hearing loss goes undiagnosed or ignored it can cause tension amongst friends, family and even our significant other. It is all too common for resentment to build in marriages and partnerships over years, as one partner or both ignore the signs of hearing loss and struggle to hear. This not only affects your personal life but success in your professional field. People with untreated hearing loss make on average $12,000 less than their contemporaries with normal hearing. They are also more likely to be passed over for promotions and raises, making the cost of ignoring hearing loss much more extreme in many cases than the cost of treatment.
Listening Fatigue
It may not just be frustrating for your friend’s family and coworkers when you can’t hear but exhausting for you as well. Listening with hearing loss can cause what is known as listening fatigue. The brain receives sound via tiny hair-like cells in the inner ear which are easily damaged due to many causes such as exposure to loud noise, some medications, infections, head trauma or even and most commonly advanced age. This process most often does not happen all at once.
At first, you may lose only certain tones or pitches as some of the inner ear cells become damaged or destroyed. This leaves an individual with a loss of just some audio information which the brain has to work overtime to process. This makes listening with hearing loss more difficult and exhausting. Over time, people with untreated hearing loss often tend to choose to isolate rather than exposing themselves to the frustration and exhaustion of trying to follow conversations with a hearing deficit.
This isolation can be very serious, especially for the population over 65. A prominent study from Johns Hopkins University shows that people with hearing loss are at a higher risk for developing dementia due to self-isolation and lack of cognitive stimulation. The risk seems to double as the degree of hearing loss becomes more extreme.
Know the Signs
Because hearing loss often develops slowly over time it is often difficult to even know you are dealing with the condition. If you struggle to hear people, ask people to repeat themselves, or respond inappropriately to questions then it’s a pretty common sign you have a hearing loss. Other common signs include needing to turn the television, phone or stereo up to full volume just to hear or issues hearing in a crowd and noise.
Dealing with The Issue
The important thing to understand is that while hearing loss is irreversible it is completely treatable. The most common treatment for hearing loss are hearing aids which amplify the individual lost tones and sounds so they are intelligible again. Hearing aids have been found to reduce strain on personal and professional relationships helping to rebuild connections that allow us to thrive. Make an appointment today to have your hearing tested and start building better connections now!