Welcome to a fortnightly newsletter for those who want to remain positive and optimistic in the face of the challenges ageing brings. Let’s explore the ideas and experiences related to living in the second half of life. I’ve spent the last 30 years following the science of living a healthy life, mentally and physically, and putting it into practice. I continue to learn and share this knowledge in posts, podcasts and sometimes, videos. Subscribe to my newsletter for access to them.
What is presbycusis?
When asking people to repeat themselves becomes a habit you know you have a problem. The reduction of clarity of sound can happen at any age. There are various causes, which include:
Exposure to loud noise on a regular basis
Loss of hair cells in the ear necessary for the hearing process
Head trauma
Health conditions such as diabetes
High blood pressure and
Heart disease
However, the older you get, the more likely you are to suffer age-related hearing loss or presbycusis, as it’s known medically. Hearing loss can begin as early as a person’s thirties or forties. It can also be hereditary and I remember my mother in her older years often asked us to repeat what we said, though she was never tested for hearing loss. A local audiologist says the average age for people booking a hearing test is sixty-six.
I’ve noticed a decline in my ability to hear certain sounds for a year or more. It’s usually quietly spoken voices or conversations held in noisy places, like busy coffee houses that I struggle with. Sitting as a passenger in a car with a softly-spoken driver has meant my having to guess much of the conversation. Family gatherings in a large room have left me straining to pick up any of the chats.
When I’m streaming a film, I have a small speaker near me so I don’t have to turn the volume up. I didn’t buy the speaker as an aid to hearing. I’ve had it a long time and got it because I love music and this little Bose speaker picks up the base beautifully. It’s proved very useful.
Ear-popping on my first flight
I was considering booking a hearing test on my return from a trip to Florence in April, which I had planned to take since last summer. It was a birthday present from my son. I had never flown before, not being widely travelled, so this was a special gift and part of its pleasure was in the planning and the anticipation.
The flights there and back were amazing. I was in awe for much of the journey and I’ve written a little book about the whole adventure. However, I suffered quite a lot of popping in my ears, which began about two-thirds into each journey. Everyone tells me this is normal. But it was so severe that it was uncomfortable and itchy and left me deaf for a while. I did, of course, recover, though it took longer than I imagined it should. Then, it occurred to me that my hearing loss wasn’t quite as bad as before.
I still booked a hearing test in case the newfound clarity was temporary. The audiologist found that I had some build-up of ear wax but he could see my eardrums, so delaying the test while I got it removed was unnecessary. He asked me some questions and then, while wearing earphones, I had to press a button every time I heard a sound.
This was carried out on each ear. Overall, he found I did have some hearing loss, it was a normal amount for my age. Forty to fifty percent of people over the age of 75 suffer hearing loss, I read. There is no cure for it so hearing aids are the answer. I discussed it with the audiologist and am still undecided on what to do.
However, studies have shown a link between hearing loss and dementia, so waiting overly long before getting hearing aids can mean a dementia risk. Not wearing hearing aids when needed directly affects the brain, which is no longer getting the stimulation it needs to function properly.
Being socially isolated is another concern for untreated hearing loss. This can lead to anxiety and depression. So I won’t be waiting too long before acting on this advice. I’ll investigate hearing aids to see which type would suit me best. I need to remember that it could be annoying for my friends if I’m asking them to repeat something they said, too often.
Lifelong lack of hearing
My late sister, Valerie, was born profoundly deaf and lived her whole life without hearing. She loved to dance as a teenager and was very good at it. The vibrations through the floor gave her the beat to move to. She taught British Sign Language to hearing people for a few years and was a mother and grandmother. Despite being considered a disability, lack of hearing has given rise to an entire culture.
It’s hard to imagine being completely without one of your senses but to live without two is beyond comprehension. The amazing Helen Keller, (1880-1968) who was born both blind and deaf wrote the following after ‘hearing’ Beethoven’s Ode to Joy on the wireless for the first time. She placed her hand on the front of the wireless and felt the vibrations:
As I listened, with darkness and melody, shadow and sound filling all the room, I could not help remembering that the great composer who poured forth such a flood of sweetness into the world was deaf like myself. I marvelled at the power of his quenchless spirit by which out of his pain he wrought such joy for others — and there I sat, feeling with my hand the magnificent symphony which broke like a sea upon the silent shores of his soul and mine. from The Marginalian
Beethoven began to lose his hearing at 28 and was completely deaf by the age of 44, caused by Paget’s disease of the bone. Presbycusis then, or loss of hearing in older years, after a lifetime of hearing, is another matter. We need to continue functioning as fully as before the loss began so hearing aids are the answer. I shall be making up my mind soon.
Comments:
Did you get my little joke with the subtitle?
Do you have hearing loss and wear hearing aids? If so do you have any advice for me?
Do you know someone with it?
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I never knew the word, but I do know the symptoms. I have to stop blaming other things 😁