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48 | November 22, 2017 | 22nd century media holiday guide
22ndCenturyMedia.com
DID YOUKNOW?
Your hearing health has adirect
effectonyour overall health.
360
million
peopleworldwide
havedisabling
hearing loss. 1
The average person waits7-10 yearsbetween first noticing
their hearing loss and finallytaking action —
DON’T LET THIS BE YOU.
5DAYSONLY!
November 27 th -December 1 st •Monday-Friday
FREE
12
New Patient Special
$500 OFF
apair of premium level hearing aids.
Offer Expires: 12/1/2017
HOMER GLEN
14316 S. Will-Cook Rd.
Homer Glen, IL 60914
www.SouthSuburbanHearing.com
Hearing loss is amajor
public health issue.
1 2 3
It is the third most common
physical condition after
arthritis and heartdisease. 2
18-69-year-olds
with hearing loss
had significantly higher instances
of moderate-to-severe depression. 3
Hearing evaluation
Examination of your earstocheck forwax build-up
Previewofthe latesttechnology
months special financing available. OAC
Call (708) 943-7075
HEARING HEALTH CENTER
Helping People Hear Better
BURR RIDGE
1333 Burr Ridge Parkway
Village Center,Suite200
Burr Ridge, IL 60527
You don’t
have to miss
another word this
Thanksgiving!
Jonathan L. Wright
Board Certified Audioprosthologist
1World Health Organization. (2015). Deafness and hearing loss. Retrievedfrom: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs300/en/ |2National AcademyonanAging Society.(1999). Challenges for the
21st Century: Chronic and Disabling Conditions. Retrievedfrom: http://www.agingsociety.org/agingsociety/pdf/chronic.pdf |3Li, C. M. &Hoffman, H. J. (2014). Untangling the Link Between Hearing Loss and
Depression. Retrievedfrom: http://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/Fulltext/2014/07000/Untangling_the_Link_Between_Hearing_Loss_and.2.aspx
©2017 Starkey. All Rights Reserved. 11/17 187981230
Examining the effects of
age-related hearing loss
South Suburban Hearing
Health Center specializes
in age-related hearing loss.
This is the loss of hearing
that gradually occurs
in most of us as we grow
older. It is one of the most
common conditions affecting
older and elderly adults.
Approximately 1-in-
3 people in the United
States between the ages
of 65 and 74 has hearing
loss, and nearly half of
those older than 75 have
difficulty hearing. Having
trouble hearing can make
it hard to understand and
follow a doctor’s advice;
respond to warnings; and
hear phones, doorbells and
smoke alarms. Hearing
loss also can make it hard
to enjoy talking with family
and friends, leading to
feelings of isolation.
Jonathan Wright, a specialist
at South Suburban
Hearing, said that agerelated
hearing loss most
often occurs in both ears,
affecting them equally. Because
the loss is gradual, if
people have age-related
hearing loss, they may not
realize that they lost some
of the ability to hear.
But research has linked
untreated hearing loss to
significant issues that affect
peoples’ lives in many
ways.
Dementia and hearing loss
Seniors with hearing
loss are significantly more
likely to develop dementia
over time than those who
retain their hearing.
• Mild hearing loss — 2
times more likely to develop
dementia
• Moderate hearing loss —
3 times more likely to
develop dementia
• Severe hearing loss — 5
times more likely to develop
dementia
Mental health and hearing
loss
Hearing loss results in
social isolation. Adults
with untreated hearing loss
tend to withdrawal from
engaging with family &
friends.
Adults 50 and older with
untreated hearing loss are
more likely report depression,
anxiety, anger and
frustration, emotional instability
and paranoia, and
are less likely to participate
in social activities than
those who wear hearing
aids.
Can one prevent agerelated
hearing loss?
At this time, scientists
do not know how to prevent
age-related hearing
loss. But people can
protect themselves from
noise-induced hearing loss
by protecting their ears
with ear plugs or ear muffs
from sounds that are too
loud and last too long.
How can people tell if they
have hearing problems?
People should ask themselves
the following questions.
If they answer “yes”
to three or more of these
questions, they could have
a hearing problem and may
need to have their hearing
checked.
• Do you sometimes feel
embarrassed when you
meet new people because
you struggle to
hear?
• Do you feel frustrated
when talking to members
of your family because
you have difficulty
hearing them?
• Do you have difficulty
hearing or understanding
co-workers, clients
or customers?
• Do you have trouble
hearing in the movies or
in the theater?
• Does a hearing problem
cause you to argue with
family members?
• Do you have trouble
hearing the TV or radio
at levels that are loud
enough for others?
(Adapted from: Newman,
C.W., Weinstein,
B.E., Jacobson, G.P., &
Hug, G.A. (1990). The
Hearing Handicap Inventory
for Adults [HHIA]:
Psychometric adequacy
and audiometric correlates.
Ear Hear, 11, 430-433.)
What should people do if
they have trouble hearing?
Hearing problems can be
serious. The most important
thing people can do if
they think they have a hearing
problem is seek advice
from a health care provider.
If someone suspect they
or a loved one is experiencing
a hearing loss, they
should not hesitate to get a
hearing test.
Reference
• The Hearing Handicap
Inventory for Adults
[HHIA]: Psychometric
adequacy and audiometric
correlates. Ear Hear,
11, 430-433.
• National Institute on
Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders
[NIDCD]: Hearing,
Ear Infections, and
Deafness. Age-Related
Hearing Loss. www.ni
dcd.nih.gov/health/agerelated-hearing-loss.
Submitted by South Suburban
Hearing Health Center in
Homer Glen and Burr Ridge.
To make an appointment, call
(708) 966-4724 for Homer
Glen and (630) 756-3260 for
Burr Ridge.