The fact that hearing loss is common and untreated in seniors is not news in my world.  

Your Problem - Cory Graham - Carlslife.ca

 I have aging clients, relatives and friends with hearing loss. Each has as many excuses as Doan’s has pills as to why they don’t have hearing aids!  The reality that folks don’t do anything about hearing loss it is highlighted in a recent article by Reuters.  New research states 2/3 of Americans over 70 have some degree of hearing loss; of this number fewer than 1 in 5 use hearing aids.

 What really surprised me in this article are two remarks by Dr. Frank R. Lin, an ear surgeon at Johns Hopkins: 

• Hearing loss has been considered much less important in old people than in kids and adolescents.  His proof:  most U.S. insurance companies don’t cover hearing aids for the elderly, despite doing so for kids.
• Possible linkage of higher rates of dementia to the elderly who are hard of hearing. It’s still unclear, however, whether there’s any cause-effect relationship at work – or whether dementia can be fixed with hearing aids. 

The moral of this story: deal with hearing loss. Make sure your parents can hear because going deaf is, well, horribly isolating. The jury is still out on whether it also induces dementia.

 READ BELOW for common signs of hearing loss courtesy Better Hearing Institute:

 You might have hearing loss if you

Socially:

• require frequent repetition
• have difficulty following conversations involving more than 2 people
• think that other people sound muffled or like they’re mumbling
• have difficulty hearing in noisy situations like conferences, restaurants, malls or crowded meeting rooms
• trouble hearing women and children
• have your radio or TV turned to a high volume
• answer or respond inappropriately in conversations
• having ringing in your ears
• read lips or intently watch people’s faces as they talk to you

Emotionally:

• feel stressed out from straining to hear what others are saying
• feel stressed out from straining to hear what others are saying
• feel embarrassed to meet new people or from misunderstanding what others are saying.
• feel nervous about trying to hear and understand.
• withdraw from social situations that you once enjoyed because of difficulty hearing.

Medically:

• have a family history of hearing loss.
• take medications that can harm the hearing system (ototoxic drugs).
• have diabetes, heart, circulation or thyroid problems.
• have been exposed to very loud sounds over a long period or single exposure to explosive noise

 Home care counselors at A WAY TO STAY Home Care are available to talk with you about your needs.  A WAY TO STAY is a home care agency providing In-Home Care in Yardley