Hearing loss is not uncommon among the elderly. In fact, some studies show that almost half of those aged 75 or older have some form of hearing loss. While some factors that lead to hearing loss cannot be completely erased, your loved one can take steps to reduce his risk of hearing loss or reduce the amount of hearing loss he may have to deal with as he continues to age. In-home personal care providers can help.
Hearing loss often cannot be restored, so protecting your loved one’s hearing now can help ensure he can enjoy all of the wonderful sounds in this world as he grows older.
Three Types of Hearing Loss
Three kinds of hearing loss may affect your elderly loved one as he ages.
- Sensorineural hearing loss affects the inner ear.
- Conductive hearing loss involves damage to the outer or middle ear.
- Mixed hearing loss, which includes damage to multiple areas of the ear.
Hearing Loss Symptoms
- Struggling to hear or focus on one voice in an environment with lots of background noise.
- Turning up the volume on anything he listens to, such as the radio, TV, or his phone.
- Speech sounds muffled.
- Not hearing higher-pitched sounds like those of certain whistles, or young children’s voices.
- A constant ringing or humming in the ears is known as tinnitus.
Risk Factors of Hearing Loss
While age is the number one risk factor for your elderly loved one to lose some of his hearing, other risk factors can compound his hearing loss, turning what might have been a mild hearing loss into a more serious one that affects his ability to manage many daily living activities safely. Those risk factors can include things such as:
- Being exposed to loud noises. The damage can come from long-term exposure to loud noises without proper protection or from one short blast of extreme noise, such as from a gunshot.
- Work or Leisure activities that expose your loved one to loud noises can lead to damage when his hearing isn’t protected. Using machinery to farm, build items, or working in a loud factory can all damage hearing. Even fun activities like motorcycling, snowmobiling, or carpentry can damage hearing when his ears aren’t protected.
- A large buildup of earwax can lead to temporary hearing loss, which often resolves once the wax is removed. It’s not uncommon for elderly folk to have more wax build up in their ears as they age.
- Ear infections can also lead to hearing loss.
Personal Care Services: How to Help Your Loved One with Hearing Loss
If your loved one has lost some of his hearing, he might need help with some daily activities. One of the largest areas of life that is impacted will be his ability to connect with others. A personal care at home provider who understands his hearing loss can help him feel connected by talking to him directly and reducing all background noises.
Personal care providers can also help with transportation needs if your loved one feels his hearing affects his ability to drive safely. If your loved one has other personal care needs, his personal care provider will be able to help with those as well, so he can continue to stay connected and engaged in a world he may not hear as well as he did before.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Personal Care in Orange, CT, please contact the caring staff at Talem Home Care & Placement Services of New Haven, CT, today. Call (203) 538-6273
At Talem Home Care & Placement Services of Fort Hartford, CT, we provide passionate, understanding, and flexible caregivers in New Haven, Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Cheshire, Derby, Milford, Naugatuck, Orange, Prospect, Seymour, Shelton, Stratford, Trumbull, West Haven, Woodbridge, Woodmont, and surrounding areas in Connecticut.
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