Help for Hearing Loss

Do people seem to mumble a lot lately? Do you have trouble hearing in church or theaters? Do you lose the thread of conversation at the dinner table or at family gatherings? Does your family repeatedly ask you to turn down the volume on the TV or radio?

These are signs of gradual, age-related hearing loss called presbycusis. High-pitched sounds are especially difficult to detect, such as a phone ringing or a microwave beeping. If you are concerned about your hearing, see an otolaryngologist (a physician who treats disorders of the ear, nose, and throat) or an otologist (a physician who specializes in ear disorders).

You should also get help if one or both ears ring continuously, or if loud noises cause pain in your ears.

Also, an audiologist (hearing therapist) may be able to show you other techniques for “training” yourself to hear better.

Hearing loss from presbycusis cannot be restored, but hearing aids along with the following self-help methods, are helpful:

• Ask people to speak clearly, distinctly, and in a normal tone.
• Look at people when they are talking to you. Watch their expressions to help you understand what they are saying. Ask them to face you.
• In a church or theater, avoid sitting in the first few rows.
• Try to limit background noise when having a conversation.
• When you go to a restaurant, ask for seating in a quiet area.
• To rely on sight instead of sound, install a flasher, or amplifier on your telephone, door chime, and alarm clock.