Overcoming the Obstacles to Treating Your Hearing Loss

The curious thing concerning hearing loss is that, statistically, if you have it, you probably won’t acknowledge it or seek out treatment for at least five to seven years—possibly longer.

• The statistics:

• 20 percent of the United States population, or 48 million people, have some extent of hearing loss.
• Of those with hearing loss, only 20 percent will seek out treatment.
• Of those who do seek treatment, they’ll wait 5 to 7 years prior to receiving a hearing test.
• Of those that get a hearing test, they’ll wait, on average, 10 years after the established diagnosis before obtaining hearing aids.

That means, on average, out of 100 people, 20 will have hearing loss. Out of those 20, only 4 will search for treatment. And those 4 individuals will wait 5 to 7 years before getting a test, after which they’ll wait an extra 10 years before acquiring a hearing aid.

As a result,, in this sample of 100 people, 16 people will forfeit healthier hearing indefinitely, while the 4 that seek treatment will have lost 15 years of better hearing and a superior standard of living.

Resistance to Finding Help

If you work in the hearing care profession, these statistics are frustrating. You’ve most likely entered the industry to help people—and with modern technology you know you can—yet the vast majority of people won’t even attempt to enhance their hearing, or for that matter, even concede that there’s a problem.

The question is, why do so many people deny their hearing loss or avoid pursuing help?

We’ve found the most common reasons to be:

1. Hearing loss is progressive

Hearing loss commonly develops in small increments over many years and isn’t obvious at any one specific moment in time. For example, you’d recognize an instant 20-decibel hearing loss, but you wouldn’t notice a year-to-year loss of 1-2 decibels over 10 years.

2. Hearing loss is partial

High-frequency hearing loss (the most widespread kind) primarily impacts higher frequency sounds. That implies you might be able to hear low-frequency sounds normally, generating the feeling that your hearing is healthy. The trouble is, speech is high-frequency, so you may suspect that the speaker is mumbling when, the truth is, hearing loss is to blame.

3. Hearing loss is invisible and painless

Hearing loss is subjective: it can’t be diagnosed by visual evaluation and it’s not normally accompanied by any pain or discomfort. The only method to properly measure hearing loss is with a professional hearing test (audiometry).

4. Hearing loss is not evaluated by most family doctors

Only a low percentage of family doctors consistently screen for hearing loss. Your hearing loss will probably not be apparent in a quiet office atmosphere, so your doctor may have no reason at all to even suspect hearing loss—not to mention they may not be trained in its proper evaluation.

5. Hearing loss is easily compensated for

If you have hearing loss, there are other ways to boost sounds: you can turn-up the volume of the television or require people to yell or repeat themselves. But not only does this approach work poorly, it also shifts the stress of your hearing loss onto other people.

If individuals can overcome these hurdles, they still must confront the stigma of hearing loss (although it’s diminishing), the cost of hearing aids (although it’s decreasing), and the belief that hearing aids just don’t work (entirely erroneous).

With so many obstacles, it’s no surprise why so many people wait to treat their hearing loss, if they choose to deal with it at all. But it doesn’t have to be that way…

Overcoming the Roadblocks to Healthier Hearing

Here’s how you can conquer the barriers to better hearing and help other people do the same:

Know the odds – hearing loss is among the most common health problems in the United States. 20 percent of the population has hearing loss, so it’s not improbable that you may, too.

Acknowledge your hearing loss – hearing loss is common, and so are hearing aids. Millions of people in the US wear hearing aids and most are satisfied.

Obtain a hearing exam – hearing loss is difficult to discern and easy to deny. The only way to know for certain is by getting a professional hearing exam.

Learn about hearing aids – the latest hearing aids have been verified to be effective, and with a multitude of models and styles, there’s a pair that’s right for you and your price range.

Regarding hearing aids, the Journal of the American Medical Association in a recent study evaluated three popular hearing aid models and determined that “each [hearing aid] circuit provided significant benefit in quiet and noisy listening situations.”

The research reveals that hearing aids are highly effective, but what do hearing aid users have to say? According to the MarkeTrak consumer satisfaction survey, 78.6% were satisfied with their hearing aid performance.

Help Reverse the Statistics

In summary, of those with hearing loss, only 20 percent will seek treatment, in spite of the fact that hearing aids are effective and the majority of people are satisfied with their hearing aids’ overall performance.

But what if the statistics were flipped, and 80 percent of those with hearing loss took action and sought treatment? That would mean an extra 28 million people in the US could enjoy all of the physical, mental, and social benefits of better hearing.

Share this article and help reverse the trend.