...The purpose of this paper is to discuss how to live with hearing loss and methods to cope with the emotional, psychological, and social effects of a hearing loss. The physical aspects of hearing impairment, including hearing mechanisms and how the ear functions are also discussed. The topic is important because understanding the various causes of hearing loss in addition to methods and resources to help with coping with a hearing loss will assist in improving communication with family members, friends, co-workers and complete strangers resulting in a better quality of life. This paper is organized into seven sections. Section one will discuss how hearing loss affect people in the U.S.; the physical parts of the human ear; how the ear functions, and different types of hearing loss. Section two will discuss the psychological, (i.e., social and emotional) effects of hearing loss. Section three will discuss how hearing loss can effect relationships. Section four will discuss where to seek medical help. Section five will discuss the pros and cons of hearing aids and associated cost. Section six will discuss tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ear), and my personal experience coping with tinnitus and hearing loss. Section seven will present the conclusion. People of all ages suffer from hearing loss and in particular as a result of noise damage, whereby “many cases of hearing loss – at least 10 million of the 28 million total cases in the U.S. – are a result...
Words: 2532 - Pages: 11
...Have you ever think if you loss of hearing someday, how do you feel? Because of being deaf is a handicap that afflicts millions of people around the world every year. In the U.S., hearing loss is the third most common health problem. In the newest report, nearly 36 million Americans lost hearing ("Hearing Loss: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment."). My best friend has become a deaf although she had the surgeries fifteen years ago. I have been diagnosed as hearing impaired for my ears. Likely, I feel worry about my disease because I understand that when hearing goes, it affects quality of work life, education and job opportunities, it causes concern for the health, and hearing loss is impacted on relationships with communication. Firstly, loss...
Words: 775 - Pages: 4
...My essay is about a teenager named Matthew Brady and how he suffers from hearing loss. Matthew was 19 years old when he was diagnosed with “ Noise induced hearing-loss”. It all happened when Matthew was running on the treadmill and was listening to music at a high volume and when the he stepped off the treadmill everything went silent, Matthew couldn’t hear a thing. Matthew wonder why he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t hear because of the loud music he was hearing with his earbuds. Few minutes later, Mathew’s hearing came back but not a lot and he still couldn’t. Teenagers like Matthew should still use earbuds but they should turn down the volume because loud noises over 85 decibels can damage your hearing . In addition, people should turn down the volume because if you can’t hear that will be a huge impact in your life....
Words: 635 - Pages: 3
...DEAFNESS It refers to a hearing loss so severe that the individual cannot process spoken language even with amplification devices. HARD OF HEARING A person is considered hard of hearing if he/she generally with the use of a hearing aid, has *residual hearing sufficient to enable successful processing of linguistic information. TYPES OF HEARING LOSS * Pre-lingual deafness * Occurs before the child has acquired speech * Post-lingual deafness * Occurs after the child has acquired speech ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE EAR 3 Major parts of the ear * Outer ear * Middle ear * Inner ear * OUTER EAR -Consists of the Auricle (part of the ear that protrudes from the side of the head) until the tympanic membrane (eardrum). -Sound is “collected “ by the Auricle and is funneled through the external auditory canal to the eardrum, which vibrates sending sound waves to the middle ear. * MIDDLE EAR -Consists of the eardrum and 3 tiny bones * Malleus (Hammer) * Incus (Anvil) * Stapes (Stirrup) They are contained in an air-filed space. They conduct vibrations of the eardrum to the oval window which is the link between the middle ear and the inner ear. * INNER EAR -An intricate mechanism of thousand of moving parts. -Often called a “labyrinth” * Divided into 2 sections: * Vestibular mechanism * Responsible for sense of balance * Cochlea * Most important...
Words: 841 - Pages: 4
...Stereotyped as a result of ageing, Hearing loss is an issue common amongst the elderly, but in Australia that is not the only case. Due to the noisy nature of our environment, and some of our lifestyle choices, the Australians at risk of losing their ability to hear is much more prominent. Loud machinery used in industrial occupations is the source labeled as the reason for hearing loss in younger people. However, you are much more likely to suffer hearing loss or damage at home or in recreation, than working in heavy industry. Loud machinery in industrial occupations can be a source of hearing damage or even loss. “From 2001–02 to 2014–15 there were 65,300 accepted claims for deafness in Australia. This was an average of 4,700 per year. More than a third of these claims (35%) were from employees in the manufacturing industry, and 18% of the claims were from by employees in the construction industry.” These occupations have rules and regulations regarding the machinery that generates potentially harmful noises, such as the requirement of using hearing protection during the operation of machinery that generate damaging noises....
Words: 619 - Pages: 3
...The Impact of Hearing Loss In today’s society, it is a well-known fact that the onset of hearing loss is occurring at an earlier age in an individual’s lifespan. In addition, the percentage of society who is experiencing hearing loss is rising as well. The culprit behind this major health concern is widely believed to be from external factors such as our overly loud environment. In the following essay, two main points will be addressed. The first will be regarding the long term consequences from a population growing up with premature hearing loss. And the second will be the challenges that will be faced when trying to change the behaviors of listeners. According to Oyler (n.d.), the impact of hearing loss has a large effect on an individual’s social life. What this means is that a person who is hard of hearing may be more socially withdrawn and reclusive than before they experienced hearing loss. This may occur for many reasons such as avoiding awkward interactions where it may be difficult to communicate effectively. Sometimes it may be due to the individual not being able to come to terms with the fact that they may need a hearing aid. Therefore, the individual shuns all interaction that may remind them of this health concern. If the rate of hearing loss increases in society, the quality of life that one may expect may decrease as a result. For example, lack of social interaction may lead to depression, lack of fulfillment, loneliness and many other related concerns. The...
Words: 444 - Pages: 2
...Hearing Loss: An Increasing Problem Today’s youth have adopted a lifestyle revolving around technology. More and more teens and young adults have their own laptop computers, video game systems, and digital music players. The latter of which is causing an outcry from many experts. Hearing loss is more common than ever before with about 16% of Americans affected (Blue). Cranking up to volume on a music player for too long can have undesired consequences, most notably being premature hearing loss. Hearing loss resulting from listening to MP3 players too loudly is becoming an increasing problem among young adults and teenagers. Listeners need to turn down the volume on their devices if they want to save their hearing. Hearing loss in relation to music is a relatively new condition. Declining prices of MP3 players and the huge success of Apple’s IPod has put earbuds in an increasing number of American’s pockets, making the number of potential people exposed to loud music higher than ever before. The IPod can be the most dangerous of all music devices due to the design of its earbuds. Since the bud is directly in the ear, it has a stronger effect on hearing. At 80% of the maximum volume, it is safe to listen to IPods for only just over an hour per day. Compare this to over the ear headphones which can be safely listened to for almost 5 hours at the same volume level. Special sound-isolating headphones are a rapidly growing technology as well. These headphones keep all background...
Words: 848 - Pages: 4
...MUSIC INDUCED HEARING LOSS: IMPROVING LISTENING HABITS INTRODUCTION It is now a norm in Singapore to see young individuals listen to music through their earphones or headphones in many of their typical day to day activities. Technological advances in audio devices have improved its sound quality and battery life thereby influencing more people to purchase such devices. Though it is generally regarded as a socially acceptable behaviour, detrimental effects will arise to the individual once there is abuse of audio volume in these devices. Unbeknownst to these teenagers, their exposure to music is condemning their ears to harmful levels of sound which will result in irreversible music induced hearing loss. Music induced hearing loss by definition is the disorder in which a person has been exposed to high levels of music over a prolonged period of time (HealthBridges info, 2011). Data from Changi General Hospital states that in recent years, hearing loss cases amongst younger generations in Singapore have doubled (Ng, 2010). The higher incidence of hearing loss in the population stems from a combination of prolonged usage of audio devices at high levels which will deteriorate hearing ability over time (Faloon, 2010). Hence it is imperative that public ignorance be rectified as the problem will exacerbate if it remains unaddressed. Given the effectiveness of social media in Singapore and the relative ease of highlighting Singapore’s health issues to the level of public debate...
Words: 2600 - Pages: 11
...The Effects Of Unilateral Hearing Loss In Children: A Comparison Between Normal Hearing Children And Children With A Unilateral Loss The development of a child’s education and language skills is heavily reliant on on their ability to hear and process the material provided. A child with a unilateral or mild hearing loss will not have full access to the presented information putting them at a disadvantage compared to their typically hearing peers. José, Mondelli, Feniman and Lopes-Herrera (2014) indicate “without early identification and intervention, about one third of the children with mild bilateral or UHL [unilateral hearing loss] will present difficulties in different areas of communication” (p.199). Unilateral hearing loss is not often...
Words: 2156 - Pages: 9
...In spite of the importance of hearing in everyday life, hearing loss is often an unrecognized and under-treated health disorder. Even among people with hearing impairment, there may be a tendency to underreport hearing-related difficulties. (Cruickshanks, Nondahl, Tweed, Wiley, Klein. B, Klein. R, Chappell, Dalton & Nash, 2010) According to the U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment (1986), hearing impairment is very common among elderly people and can seriously affect their quality of life, personal safety, and ability to function independently. Pure Tone average results for the First Study showed that nearly half of the participants were classified as having hearing loss (of all degrees) which was consistent with the third study,...
Words: 1053 - Pages: 5
...Noise induced hearing loss, what do we know about it? How do we hear? First, the sound vibrates the eardrum and the eardrum in turn vibrates the little bones we call the hammer, anvil and the stirrup. This vibration is sent to the cochlea, which is shaped like a snail and filled with fluid. This fluid starts to ripple and the little hairs, located on the inner surfaces of the cochlea, detect the waves and transmit the electrical signals to the auditory nerve and on to the brain to be decoded resulting in hearing. The mechanics of the ear are much more complex than this description but you get the gist. Loud sounds, over time, causes the fine hairlike projections that are in the choclea to die and they do not regenerate so the hearing loss is permanent and irreversible. And sound itself is measured in decibles (or dB) and the common range is from 0 dB which is the threshold of hearing to 140 dB which is the sound of a jet taking off or a rock band. We've all used headphones at one time or another. Did you ever think about hearing loss due to your use of headphones? I know that I never did. But we know that heavy machine, lawn mower, and jackhammer operators all use foam earplugs in their ears to block the noise. According to the NIH, (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Noise Induced Hearing Loss, NIH Pub. No. 14-4233, Updated March 2014) noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) can happen immediately or gradually over time. In order for...
Words: 1014 - Pages: 5
...How hearing loss affects development of the mind James Garrett Excelsior College PSY235 Dr. Victoria Ferrara June 21, 2015 Abstract Hearing loss can have a tremendous effect on the cognitive development of human beings. Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory can be connected to this issue. Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory can also be tied into the effects of hearing loss on development and the theory of mind is another theory that can help explain the why. Language development is one of the main reasons for a child’s mental growth and is also one of the main areas effected by a hearing deficit. There are many ways to combat the ill-effects of hearing loss including new technologies in hearing aids along with proactive parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals. How hearing loss affects development of the mind Pediatric hearing loss is not a low-incident disability with the educationally significant hearing loss being approximately 12 in 1000 children (Matkin & Wilcox, 1999). Anderson (2015) tells us that usually during the 24th week of pregnancy, an unborn baby begins to hear. Hearing is a vital means of interacting with the family and the world throughout life. A baby starts to distinguish sounds like human speech in the first months after birth. The foundations of language, both hearing and speaking, develop by age two. The development of language from the youngest age is directly tied to cognitive development, primarily affecting reading, learning...
Words: 2896 - Pages: 12
...The above graph represents the frequency that can be heard according to age. It is apparent that as a person gets older their hearing becomes less able to recognise frequencies. This relationship between age and hearing loss shows the condition of presbyacusis which affects every aging human. Presbyacusis is the slow loss of hearing over time. This hearing condition affects higher sound frequency perception compared to lower frequencies as represented in the above graph, with the pattern of how the older a subject the more hearing loss of higher frequencies there is. Presbyacusis is caused by a number of factors these include genetics, medical conditions and repeated exposure to loud sounds. The most prevalent cause however is repeated exposure...
Words: 365 - Pages: 2
...believe :Loud music causes hearing loss in teens IPods and MP3s are very important to teens today. We listen to them while we get dressed and on our way to school. We try to sneak our ear buds in during class; we listen after school, while doing our homework, and before bed. IPods and MP3 players have become an important part of the daily schedule, but what teens don't realize is those same devices that entertain us for hours each and every day can be a serious source of hearing loss Most teenagers believe that listening to music for long periods of time is perfectly fine. According to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) teens should not listen to music for more than one hour every day at a reasonable volume. The reasonable volume for music is 75 decibels witch is about 70% of an IPods volume capacity according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information The effects of frequently listening to loud music include permanent hearing loss. The hair cells in the ear – irreplaceable cells that send electrical impulses to the brain – can die from sustained abuse. After going to a rock concert or listening to a lot of loud music, you might hear a soft ringing in your ears called tinnitus. This is an indication of acoustic trauma that over time could result in hearing loss if precautions aren't taken. Many people think that hearing loss is hereditary but “acoustic trauma produced by exposure to loud sounds” is the third major cause of hearing loss, according to science writer...
Words: 434 - Pages: 2
...Hearing loss and Decibels To understand decibels and hearing loss we first need to understand what and how decibels are and measured. The decibel (dB) is used to measure sound level. It is the logarithmic way of describing a ratio. This ratio can be power, sound pressure, voltage or intensity or several other things. For the case of hearing loss we will use decibels to determine the sound pressure. Sound pressure is the force of sound on a surface area perpendicular to the direction of the sound. However, sound pressure is measured in Pascal (Pa) which is atmospheric pressure. Sound pressure level or sound level Lp is a logarithmic measure of the effective pressure of a sound relative to a reference value. It is measured in decibels (dB) above a standard reference level. Lp = 10log10 (Prms2/Pref2) = 20log10 (Prms/Pref) dB, where Pref is the reference sound pressure and Prms is the rms sound pressure being measured. Now that we go the mathematics out of the way how do decibels and hearing loss go together? Hearing health care professionals classify hearing into different categories. Here is a list of these categories and there respected ranges. Normal hearing | -10 to 15 dB | Slight hearing loss | 16 to 25 dB | Mild hearing loss | 26 to 40 dB | Moderate hearing loss | 41 to 55 dB | Moderately severe loss | 56 to 70 dB | Severe hearing loss | 71 to 90 dB | Profound hearing loss | 91 to 120 dB | Deaf | greater than 120 dB | Now that we have an understanding...
Words: 385 - Pages: 2
