Hearing problems are serious, age-related hearing loss or presbycusis is a hearing problem that is seen in older people. The condition is progressive and once occurs, it is irreversible. Presbycusis potential causes are pathophysiological changes occurs related to aging, a combination of genetics, and aggressive environmental exposure. The website audiology.com notes that there are no known preventive measures as well as a treatment that cures it. But, the condition can be a person can be treated with hearing aids or through a surgical implant for better hearing.
Treating Presbycusis
Treatment for age-related hearing loss depends on how severe is your hearing loss. Your doctor can suggest to you which local audiology clinic in your city to visit, or you can perfom searches for hearing aid Kelowna, just change the city name for your search to find an audiologist that suits you based on your severity.
What are hearing aids?
These are electronic instruments, either inserted in your ear or placed behind your ear. These instruments make sounds loud enough to you to hear. To choose the best one, try more than one hearing aid type. Make your self comfortable about how to use a hearing aid, how to wear it and how to remove it. Take help from the provider to assist you until you are well aware of its usage. Widely used hearing aids that help to improve your hearing are: Cochlear implants, Assistive listening device, Bone Anchored hearing system, and in severe cases of hearing loss, Lip or Speech Reading is suggested. Cochlear Implants are tiny electronic devices and are surgically implanted in the inner ear. This device replaces the cochlea of the inner ear, and are recommended if you have severe loss of hearing such as deaf or hard of hearing. This device provides a sense of sound, helping hearing loss patients to hear.
The bone-anchored hearing system uses the natural capability of body and transferring sound through bone conduction. It is placed between the middle ear and ear canal. Assistive listening devices are telephone amplifying devices. Lip reading is another option, in which trainers train hearing loss patients to follow conversational speech with other people through their lip movements. They are exploring new ways to regrow inner ear hair cells using gene therapies and drug therapies. Medications are on trials for preventing age-related hearing loss as well as noise induced hearing loss. More devices with advanced technologies are under process to aid age-related hearing loss patients. One of the effective and advanced treatments scientists are trying to make available for hearing loss people is ‘stem cell therapy’. Inoculation of young CD4+ T cells for hearing loss people rejuvenates and prevents all types of hearing loss.
How Can You Help People With Presbycusis
If you encounter a person you know with hearing loss, take some precautions while speaking with them. Whenever you speak to them, make sure you face them, and your face should not be covered or in the dark while you speak. Speak in a loud and clear voice, but do not shout at them. Never speak with your mouth full to them, this act will be difficult for them to understand what you are talking. Make your conversations short and loud enough in a way they understand what you say when the background noises are high. Lower your television and radio volume before talking to them.