What are you saying?

by Betty Mitchell RN BSN
Parish Nurse, Emmanuel Bethel Church, Royal Oak, Michigan

Hearing loss can occur at any age. It is important to protect and have healthy ears to know what people are saying and be aware of what is occurring in your environment.

Ear canals blocked with ear wax or infections may cause hearing loss. Have your ears checked by your doctor to clean the ear wax from your ear canal to avoid an accidental puncture of the eardrum.

Heredity and chronic exposure to loud noises are other factors that cause hearing loss over time. Wearing sound-deadening ear protection any time you are exposed to loud noises will help prevent hearing loss. If nerve cells that carry sound signals to the brain are damaged, hearing is decreased.

Some medications may also cause hearing loss by damaging the inner ear. Check with your doctor or pharmacist for possible side effects of any new medications prescribed for you.

Quality of life can be affected with hearing loss. Depression, anxiety and feeling others are angry with you may be among the problems experienced.

Once diagnosis of the cause of hearing loss is determined and treated, quality of life may improve. Self-confidence increases and better relationships with people are noticeable when people have successful treatment of hearing loss.

After talking to your doctor about any hearing loss you may notice, tests will be done to determine the cause and the proper course of treatment. If a hearing aid is suggested you may need to try more than one type of device to find one that works best for you.

To make conversation more meaningful if you have any hearing deficit, try to face the person you are talking to. Sometimes you may simply have to reduce background noise by finding a quiet setting.

Source: www.mayoclinic.com; www.asha.org