Happy New Year! We are looking forward to making 2015 the best year we’ve ever had. One of our goals as a hearing and balance practice is to increase our hearing loss education and prevention efforts in the community. We will start with a bullet list of interesting facts about hearing loss in America.
- Hearing loss is the 3rd most prevalent chronic condition in older Americans, behind hypertension and arthritis
- 1 in 3 people over the age of 60 have hearing loss
- 1 in 6 people between the ages of 49-68 (Baby Boomers) have hearing loss
- 1 in 14 people of Generation X (ages 37-48) already have hearing loss
Scariest of all:
- 1 in 5 teenagers have some type of hearing loss
Why Does This Matter?
- Adults with hearing loss develop a significant impairment in their cognitive abilities 3.2 years sooner than those with normal hearing
- Those with hearing loss experience a 30 to 40 percent greater decline in thinking abilities compared to their counterparts without hearing loss
- Adults with mild hearing loss are two times more likely to develop dementia– that increases to three times more likely with a moderate hearing loss, and five times more likely with severe hearing loss.
- People with mile hearing loss are three times more likely to have a history of falling.
- Depression and other emotional or mental health issues increases with severity of hearing loss
- 90% of people with Tinnitus also have hearing loss
And finally…
- There is a $14,100 income difference between adults with mild and severe hearing loss
- People with untreated hearing loss lose up to $30,000 annually
While this information is discouraging, there is hope!
- Hearing aids alleviate the impact of income loss by 90 to 100 percent for those with mild hearing loss and from 65 to 77 percent for those with severe to moderate hearing loss
- Adults with hearing loss who wear hearing aids have a lower unemployment rate than their peers with unaided hearing loss
If you have questions about hearing loss or would like to schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our award winning Spanish Fork audiologists, give us a call at 801-770-0801.
