One in three. That’s how many Canadians aged 65 to 74 are living with some degree of hearing loss, which is a risk factor for a number of health and mental health problems, including cognitive decline.
That said, there are things you can do to protect your hearing. And even if you do experience a loss, there are treatment strategies that can improve your ability to communicate with others, and participate in activities that are important to you.
However, in most cases, if you wait until you realize you’re having difficulty hearing, the degree of loss is likely to be moderate to severe.
You can read more about how your hearing and health are connected, and how to go about protecting yourself from the negative consequences of hearing loss in this Good Times health feature I wrote for the September 2015 issue: ‘Look After Your Hearing.’
A big thank-you to the interviewees who so generously shared their time and expertise:
- Jason Schmeidge, an audiologist with Expert Hearing Solutions in Saskatoon, Sask.
- Dr. David Shahnaz, PhD, an associate professor of audiology and speech sciences at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
- Li Qi, senior audiologist and audiology practice lead, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver Coastal Health Acute Care; clinical associate professor of audiology and speech sciences at the University of British Columbia, and a member of Speech-Language & Audiology Canada’s board of directors.
- Frank Tappin.
Resources
Canadian Hard of Hearing Association
Speech-Language & Audiology Canada
Image by mcmurryjulie Courtesy of Pixabay