You may have heard about hearing loss being more prevalent in the older community, but did you know that age-related hearing loss often goes untreated? It’s one of the many features to look forward to as we get older, as our systems in our body become less effective as we get older. Most deal with the changes as they are so gradual, but it doesn’t mean that hearing loss is any easier to cope with in our senior years. With 33% of Americans over 65 experiencing hearing loss, diagnosis is important. The only issue is that so many of that age group are uncomfortable with getting their hearing sorted because as far as they are concerned, they can hear just fine. It’s also possible that many don’t notice the difference in their hearing until it’s too late to do anything about it in a preventative sense.

Why is age-related hearing loss untreated?

Those in advancing years will benefit from the help and support of an audiologist, especially when it comes to the over-75s. Age-related hearing loss is often left untreated, and we’ve got some of the reasons why for you to understand below.

Embarrassment

Many who are older don’t want to be a burden on friends, family and even the healthcare system. As you older, people don’t want to make much noise if something is wrong, and there is still a stigma attached for those wearing hearing aids unfortunately! It can be hard to admit that someone is aging, and a hearing aid is an admission that things are changing. It’s actually very smart to wear your hearing aids when your audiologist has told you that your hearing is declining rapidly. Audiologists do understand these concerns, though, and if you want to fix it, you can wear modern hearing aids that are tiny and sit inside the ear. These are barely visible, and it makes it much harder to tell whether someone has hearing loss at all.

Misunderstanding

A very simple reason that so many seniors go without help for their hearing is that they simply just are not aware of how a hearing aid could improve their life. Older generations are less informed about the newer technologies with hearing aids. If you are in contact with an older relative, it can help to keep them up to date on the new technologies from which they can benefit, as they can then schedule regular audiology appointments and have the experts evaluate their hearing for them. From here, the right advice and help can be offered, which is all the necessary support in this case.

Why should hearing loss be treated?

No matter your age, it’s imperative to speak to an audiologist and get a screening for your hearing if you suspect that you are losing any hearing at all. Hearing loss is something that you can gradually get used to, but you shouldn’t have to. The body adapts very well to changes as we age, but that doesn’t mean that you have to go without one of your senses functioning properly. It means that you should take advantage of the newer treatments, and if you don’t get your hearing fixed while you can, you may experience:

Isolation: Feelings of isolation are very common in the aged population. As we age, it gets harder to hear others, and that makes for more discomfort in social situations. Hearing loss is bad for your social life, as you eventually won’t ask people to repeat themselves, and this can then lead to feeling very lonely.
Level of hearing loss: Not all hearing loss is easy to diagnose, and while it may appear quite insignificant, it’s not! The side effects of hearing loss are so big that you will need additional help if you can’t hear your friends and family.
Dementia risk: Did you know that hearing loss and dementia are linked? Those handling hearing loss are far more likely to deal with poor mental health because of the effects on the brain.