Hearing Loss – Everything You Need To Know

Hearing loss

A reduced capacity to communicate has a significant impact on relationships, career opportunities, social connection, independent living, quality of life – and your cognitive (brain) health.

How do I know if I have a hearing loss?

Hearing loss is common, particularly as you become older. In Australia, research has shown that one person in five over 60 years old will have a hearing loss; over the age of 70, one person in three.

Most hearing losses develop slowly and gradually, so it is easy not to notice and it is often difficult to self diagnose a hearing loss.

You may have a hearing loss if you have noticed the following:

• a build-up of wax in your ear canals can affect your hearing 
• increased difficulty distinguishing speech in noisy environments
• a history of exposure to industrial noise without hearing protection
• a family history of developing a hearing loss
• family or spouse comments on your hearing difficulties
• frequently asking people to repeat themselves
• struggling to understand a whisper or softly spoken person
• struggling to hear conversation from a distance
• increased volume for TV and radio compared to others
• difficulties hearing on the telephone
• missing the telephone or door bell

What are the possible effects of a hearing loss?

• impaired communication with family, friends, at work
• fatigue and cognitive load from the effort of listening, potentially leading to detachment and withdrawal
• social isolation
• epidemiological evidence suggests an association between hearing loss and cognition and is showing that hearing aid interventions can have protective effects on the ageing brain

• according to Lancet Commission reports on dementia, hearing loss was identified as the largest potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia (The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care, 2017 and 2020). The latest evidence has shown there was no increased risk in people who use hearing aids (Lancet, 2023).

• an increased awareness of tinnitus
• increased risk of falls, due to reduced proprioceptive cues (auditory information about your position in space)

• the emotional impact of all the above