“Research shows that the connection between hearing loss and healthy aging is clear,” says Dr. Palmer. “Hearing loss is linked to depression, feeling isolated, not being able to live independently and to falls (not being able to hear affects balance and the ability to sense where you are in space). It affects the ability to communicate, which is essential to successful living. Significant hearing losses in children affect speech and language development, which in turn affect reading, educational success and social development.”
An important first step in hearing health is for people to know whether they have hearing loss. Hearing health care can be confusing. Hearing exams are offered by retail stores. Hearing aid companies advertise directly to consumers. It can be hard to know where to find the best help. Dr. Palmer says it’s most important to see a licensed audiologist (someone who is trained to diagnose, manage and/or treat hearing or balance problems). For some people, an audiologist can offer simple solutions to help with communication. For example, make sure people are looking at you when they talk. Ask them to slow down when talking rather than shout. A low-cost television amplifier that sends a signal to headphones or a device that makes the phone louder helps. Using the captioning on the television can help. If hearing is difficult at the movies or live theater, ask for the listening system that the theater must provide by law (covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act). The signal comes right from the sound source into headphones.
If a test finds hearing loss, hearing aids can help. But they are often not covered by insurance and can be expensive. Audiologists can help people find the most cost-effective solution.
“There is no best hearing aid for everyone, but there is a best hearing aid for you,” says Dr. Palmer. “People must wear their hearing aids all the time, though. They may not like them at first. Their brains are not used to all of this sound. After a period of wearing them full time (from when you wake up until you go to bed at night), the brain will adjust to the new sounds and ignore background sounds. If the aids aren’t worn full time, this adjustment doesn’t happen.”
Dr. Palmer says there are perks to living in Western Pennsylvania for people with hearing loss. One is the UPMC Center for Audiology and Hearing Aids, of which she is the director. The center runs programs that offer hearing aids at low cost or no cost. It also provides free hearing screenings over the phone. The second is that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides hearing aids at no charge to people from birth to age 21.
Hearing loss can happen to anyone. Some people are born with hearing loss or inherit it. But for many people, the majority of hearing loss comes from our noisy world. Hearing loss caused by noise is 100 percent preventable, says Dr. Palmer. It’s also the most common kind of hearing loss.
“People must protect their hearing,” she says. “There are good over-the-counter earplugs. The UPMC Center for Audiology and Hearing Aids offers low-cost musician earplugs that protect hearing while maintaining good sound quality. People make a huge mistake, thinking that one exposure won’t matter, but it does. Even going to one concert can affect hearing. We can’t fix those hearing losses. We can eventually provide hearing aids, but it’s far better to prevent loss. A good rule of thumb is that if something sounds too loud to you, it could be damaging your hearing.”
Have more questions or want to get your hearing tested? Contact the UPMC Center for Audiology and Hearing Aids at 412-647-2030 to schedule. Or, you can call 412-647-2400 for a free telephone hearing screening.
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