The elders in the family always turn on the TV very loud, the doorbell rings, the phone rings can not hear, told him not to pay attention? The elderly themselves do not notice, but the people around them can feel in the first time: old and deaf! Then listen to it, ignore it. The elderly friends do not know: suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes will accelerate the speed of hearing loss; deafness of many types, some people can not hear high-frequency sound, some people can not hear low-frequency sound, hearing aids must go to the regular hospital testing before fitting. According to the survey data, there are 20,454,100 people with hearing disabilities in China, of which 13,644,900 are elderly deaf, accounting for 66.87%. Elderly friends do not have low self-esteem, old age deafness should be called “hearing impairment”, is the natural aging of the auditory system, preventive measures are mainly to slow down the aging process of the auditory system. Since hearing loss is unrecoverable, it is recommended that people with mild to moderate deafness wear appropriate hearing aids at an early age.
High blood pressure and diabetes can accelerate hearing decline
Age-related deafness is mostly bilateral hearing loss. There are individual differences in the age of hearing loss, with some people already experiencing hearing loss around the age of 50. At first it does not affect daily conversation, but the deafness continues to worsen, “except that the process develops slowly, dropping 0.6 dB a year after age 60. but if the deafness is combined with hypertension and diabetes, the rate of hearing loss is accelerated.” “These diseases can increase blood concentration, leading to blockage of the cochlear micro-artery and affecting blood circulation in the inner ear.” Therefore, family members should urge their elders to eat a light diet, reduce fatty foods and quit smoking and drinking habits.
In addition, noise and the use of ototoxic drugs (such as antibiotics and tumor treatment drugs) can also lead to deafness, and those who are older should try to avoid these risk factors.
Hearing but not hearing is the same as deafness
Progressive deafness can be diagnosed as senile deafness when other causes are ruled out. Therefore, if you notice that your elder is losing responsiveness, staying alone all the time, talking repeatedly, not hearing the doorbell or phone ringing, talking louder and louder, or having the TV turned up, you should take him or her to have a hearing test.
In life, many people don’t realize how much of an adverse effect deafness has on older people. Older people who cannot hear are prone to feelings of loneliness, mood anxiety and short temper, which affects communication and social skills and strains family relationships. I found in my clinic that many elderly friends do not believe they can’t hear well and often insist on denying it when friends and relatives tell them. On the one hand, they can’t hear themselves so they think others are not talking; on the other hand, elderly people are afraid of being disliked by their family members. In addition to hearing loss, most deafness can be accompanied by tinnitus, vertigo (unilateral ear or both ears) and other symptoms, which elderly people can use as a reference.
It is worth noting that some people with hearing loss can hear sounds but cannot hear the content clearly, which also belongs to the category of senile deafness.
Hearing aids don’t get deafer the more you wear them
For those who have mild to moderate hearing loss, it is recommended to wear hearing aids early. At the same time, medications such as inner ear vasodilators, blood viscosity reduction medications, vitamins and neurotrophic agents can be used to slow down the rate of hearing loss.
Only about 20% of the deaf people I see are willing to wear hearing aids, and many of them have deep preconceptions about hearing aids, such as the belief that deafness will increase faster with hearing aids and that they will be less able to hear if they take them off. There is no scientific basis for this, it is just an illusion caused by the difference in hearing after putting on and taking off the hearing aids; others worry that hearing aids will affect the aesthetics, but nowadays hearing aids can be made to fit the shape of the external ear canal and are very concealing.
Hearing aids not only restore your hearing, but research has concluded that poor speech recognition in age-related deafness may be related to central system dysfunction and the patient’s cognitive ability. Wearing hearing aids early on can protect the patient’s central nervous and speech recognition functions.
Hearing aids should not be bought on the roadside
Lastly, we would like to remind you that there are many different types of deafness, so you should go to a good hospital for professional hearing assessment and not just buy them on the roadside. “Some deafness is mainly low frequency hearing loss, can not hear low frequency sound, if you buy hearing aids only amplify high frequency sound, the wearer will still not hear; while some deafness is mainly high frequency steep drop, that is, can not hear high frequency sound; some belong to the flat type, the daily volume can not hear, must be based on different deafness type, choose the appropriate hearing aids. “
Hearing aids have a long service life, and when the hearing loss can still turn up the volume to continue to use, but we should pay attention to the maintenance of the machine. Hearing aids should be placed in a dry box so that human moisture does not damage the machine. For patients with severe deafness or above, wearing hearing aids is no longer enough to compensate for hearing, cochlear implants or vibrating sound bridge implants can be considered.
Preventive measures for senile deafness
1. Pay attention to dietary hygiene, reduce fatty foods, and quit smoking and drinking habits.
2.Actively treat the corresponding systemic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
3.Avoid exposure to noise.
4.Avoid the application of ototoxic drugs (such as antibiotics and tumor treatment drugs).
5. Avoid mental tension, maintain a calm and relaxed state of mind, and engage in moderate physical activities.
The above measures can slow down the aging process of the auditory system.