Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California

Information | Hearing Loss

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Statistics on Hearing Loss
Could You Have A Hearing Loss?
Degrees and Characteristics of Hearing Loss
Experience of Late-Onset Hearing Loss
Some Words For Those New to Hearing Loss

Statistics on Hearing Loss

There is no solid, consistent data on the numbers of people with hearing loss of different kinds and degrees. The studies that exist vary in definitions and methods of measurement. State of the art scientific information about prevalence of hearing loss is available at:

Gallaudet Research Institute
http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/InfoToGo/

National Center for Health Statistics
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs

Taken together, studies suggest:

10% of all Americans have some hearing loss
14% of American adults have “a little trouble hearing”
3.4% of American adults have “a lot of trouble hearing” or are deaf
30% of all people over the age of 65 have hearing loss
65% of all people over the age of 85 have hearing loss
Over 75% of people with hearing loss lost their hearing after the age of 19
50% of people with hearing loss are of working age (18 – 64)
83 out of every 1000 children in the United States have an educationally significant hearing loss
1 of every 1000 babies born in the United States has a hearing loss
75% of people who could benefit from hearing aids are not using them

Could You Have A Hearing Loss?

Do you often feel that people are mumbling or not speaking clearly?
Do you often misunderstand what has been said to you?
Do you find it difficult to follow conversation in a noisy restaurant or crowded room?
Do you experience ringing noises in your ears?
Do you hear better with one ear than with the other?
Have you been exposed regularly to loud noise at work, during recreation or in military service?
Do you often ask people to speak up or repeat?
Do people tell you that you play the TV or radio too loudly?
Do you sometimes fail to hear your doorbell or telephone?
Do you find it difficult to understand a speaker at a public meeting or religious service?

If you answered YES to two or more of the above questions, you may have some hearing loss. Please see your physician or an audiologist if you suspect that you or a family member may have a hearing loss.

Degrees and Characteristics of Hearing Loss

The ear is complex; the ability to speak and understand speech depends upon many factors, most significantly:

the degree of the loss
the age of the person when the loss occurred

People who have had hearing earlier in their lives typically retain the speech and language skills they acquired as hearing people.

People who have had a severe hearing loss since early childhood may use American Sign Language or another sign system as their primary means of communication.

The following categories describe some experiences of hearing loss.

Hard-of-Hearing People: About 89% of all people with hearing loss:

Have lost some but not all of the hearing used to understand speech
Hear enough to know that a person is talking, but do not hear clearly. Words sound muffled and indistinct.
Try to compensate by filling in auditory information that is missing or distorted. They use clues from watching the persons lips and facial expression, combined with whatever they know about the context of the conversation
May be so skilled at compensating for their hearing loss that the condition is not recognized
Can benefit from hearing aids (Hearing aids make sounds louder and usually help people understand speech. But they do not make speech perfectly clear. They are of most help in quiet environments.)
Can also benefit from assistive listening systems

Deafened People --Sometimes called Late Deafened Adults. about 8% of people with hearing loss:

Have had good hearing and have learned speech and language as hearing people, but can no longer use hearing to understand speech.

Are not members of the Deaf culture (see below)
Speak intelligibly, although their inflection and volume may sound different.
May use hearing aids and assistive devices
Rely mainly on what they see to communicate, using:
- speech reading (CART--computer assisted real time captioning-- is often their preferred accommodation.)
- sign language – typically an English based sign system

Deaf – or Culturally Deaf people About 4% of people with hearing loss:

Have been deaf since early childhood
Typically learned sign language early
May or may not have intelligible speech
May or may not be fluent in English
Probably use American Sign Language (or the sign language of their native country) as their primary means of communication
Probably have formed their principal social connections among other Deaf people.

The Experience of Late-Onset Hearing Loss

Hearing loss in adults typically develops slowly. Contrary to popular understanding, hearing loss does not necessarily make speech sound softer than before; it makes speech less clear. It is easy therefore for the person affected to believe that communication difficulties are caused by other things, such as people mumbling. Relatives may interpret the person’s failure to understand accurately as inattention, depression, or even dementia. Unacknowledged, hearing loss can slowly erode a person’s confidence and enjoyment of social experiences, and can lead to withdrawal, isolation, and depression.

As hearing loss develops, people will typically start to fill in the gaps of missing auditory information by using what they see or tacitly know. Lip movements, facial expressions, and knowledge of the subject matter all help. The person with the hearing loss puts all these pieces of information together and communicates by continually making educated guesses.

Some people are more adept at this process than others. But even the most skilled communicators misunderstand some of the time, and all experience fatigue from the extra effort. Some people find social interaction so frustrating and humiliating that they withdraw. Others cover by dominating the conversation. Most find that conversation is no longer easy, spontaneous, and enjoyable.

Typical Stages of Adjustment to Hearing Loss

The first stage of adjustment is often DENIAL.
It is natural to deny a reality that is unpleasant and associated with negative stereotypes. Also, since hearing loss often develops slowly, it is easy to attribute its affects to other things. Denial makes it difficult for the person to seek and utilize resources that can help.

Next, many people go through a period of ANGER.
There is a great deal of frustration caused by hearing loss, and the reality of people who do not know how to help facilitate communication. But the anger may also be about the hearing loss itself. If prolonged and intense, anger may interfere with relationships and adjustment.

After, or sometimes at the same time as anger, people go through a period of SADNESS.
It is natural to feel sad about a loss. Sometimes sadness moves into a more severe condition of depression, in which a person loses confidence, hope, and energy. Depression is always a serious condition, but especially for people with hearing loss, as it interferes with the coping skills that are essential for maintaining communication.

In time, most people come to a stage of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
At this point, they are able to accept that the hearing loss is real and needs to be addressed. They can then make good use of medical, audiological, and other rehabilitation resources to develop the most effective communication abilities possible.

Some Words for Those New to Hearing Loss

1. Get a thorough ear, nose and throat examination (ENT) so that you know whether or not any medical procedures are indicated. The doctor may recommend an audiologist for testing.

2. Have a comprehensive hearing test, including pure-tone, bone, and speech testing. The audiologist may suggest a type of hearing aid best for you. Some audiologists dispense hearing aids.

3. Get a copy of your audiogram to keep. Take your audiogram with you when visiting the hearing aid dispenser or anyone in hearing health care.

4. Two hearing aids are better than one.

5. The younger you are when adjusting to hearing aids, the easier it is for you.

6. The most expensive, hi-tech hearing aid is not necessarily the best fit. Avoid mail-order hearing aids. Individual fitting is best. What worked for your neighbor may not work for you.

7. Hearing aids do not cure hearing loss. Hearing aids do relieve stress and energy drain in many situations.

8. Return to your dispenser for adjustments to the aid until you are satisfied.

9. People hear in their brains as well as their ears. The longer you have lived with hearing loss, the more hearing rehabilitation you may need.

10. Your brain will adapt to long-unheard sounds. Give it time. Practice, patience and persistence will reward you with better understanding.

11. Use it or lose it: wear your hearing aids as much as possible to stimulate the hearing center of your brain.

12. Modern hearing instruments will help you hear better in background noise, but they do not eliminate it. Directional microphones or multiple microphones built into aids help you pick up the sounds that are important to you.

13. Your voice will sound different to you.

14. Telecoils or telephone coils in the hearing aid are an advantage for listening on the phone and with other devices. Ask for them to be built in.

15. Hearing instruments usually whistle when covered.

16. Assistive listening devices in addition to hearing aids, for telephones, TV, auditoriums, lectures, and meetings can help in difficult situations. Information about them and about ways to purchase them is available at the Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California, and from some hearing aid dispensers.

17. Support groups such as Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc. (SHHH) and Association of Late Deafened Adults (ALDA) are wonderful resources for information and allies.

18. It takes two to communicate. You, your family and co-workers can learn behavior changes that help everybody understand better.

19. Explain to people how they can help you (e.g. “Please turn your face to me,” or “Could you say that another way?”) and thank people who cooperate. Most will.