Any discussion about hearing loss with many citizens can be touchy, including discussion about which are the best hearing aids for seniors!. Very often there tends to be a denial of the reality.
If this sounds familiar, and you are reading this article, then it means that you probably already have some concerns, and have finally decided that saying “No” one more time is no longer an option. Hence you are searching for articles that will enlighten you….
What are the degrees of hearing loss? Am I just at the initial stages or further advanced? These are all important questions.
Prior to researching for the best hearing aids for seniors on the market, you need to first understand the basics of hearing including what is referred to as the 5 degrees of hearing loss.
This is really not as complicated as you may think.
This article will walk you through a simple yet science based review of the fundamentals you need to know such as: Why do we have two ears?, How do they work in the hearing process?, What causes hearing loss?, and a host of other questions.
You are unique, so bear in mind that not all hearing loss will be the same, and that treatment and type of hearing aid will depend on the degree of hearing loss.
Some Important Terms To Understand
Before seeking professional advice about your hearing, it is a good idea to understand some medical terminology used in the measurement of sound which you will encounter.
Decibels and Hertz are used to measure the severity (acuteness) of hearing loss.
- Decibels (dB): The term Decibel measures loudness. It refers to how loud sound needs to be for you to hear it. Hearing loss is classified based on the minimum sound level a person can detect measured in dB
- Hertz (Hz): Measures frequency or pitch of sound. It is used to determine which frequencies are more difficult for you to hear.
Examples of Everyday Sounds:
Check out this really great infographic Noise meter resource (https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/listen-infographic) titled “Listen Up! Protect Your Hearing” from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).
The article was primarily written to target teens and young adults who typically love listening to very loud music.
There are 12 different sounds in the noise meter. Remember to turn down the volume of your computer speakers BEFORE you select a sound to listen to as some of these sounds are REALLY LOUD and over the safe threshold of 85 dB.
Over time, any sound that’s 85 decibels or higher can cause hearing loss — or other hearing problems, like tinnitus (a continuous ringing sound in the ears).
A real eye opener is the fact that certain sounds we sometimes encounter in our everyday lives are actually above this safe level as listed below:
LAWNMOWER: 90 -100 dB
MOVIE THEATER: 70 – 104 dB
MOTORCYCLE: 80 – 110 dB
SPORTS EVENTS (Like football or hockey games): 94 – 110 dB
HEADPHONES: 96 – 110 dB
ROCK CONCERTS, PARTIES OR NIGHTCLUBS: 95 – 115 dB
SIRENS – FIRE TRUCK, POLICE CAR, AMBULANCE: 110 – 129 dB
FIREWORKS & FIRECRACKERS: 140 – 160 dB
How do We Hear? – The Best Hearing Aids for Seniors
There are three parts to the ear –
(1) the visible outer ear called the pinna and the ear canal;
(2) the middle ear which is not visible is made up of the eardrum and three tiny bones called ossicles and,
(3) the inner ear housing a snail shaped cochlea, the hearing nerve and the semi-circular canals that assist with balancing.
Your natural hearing depends on each of these three parts working well together. Hearing occurs when sound travels through the outer, middle and the inner ear. A problem in any one of these parts can result in some degree of hearing loss.
You also have two ears which must function together as a team to locate sound, direct it to the brain and distribute the volume so that you receive a balanced audio. Having two ears makes it easier to understand speech and communicate with others.
So How Do These All Work Together?
- Sound enters as sound waves through the externally visible outer ear. Imagine waves on a beach……smaller waves are more gentle, while larger waves can be quite strong. The same is true for sound waves. The louder the sound, the larger the sound wave.
- The outer ears on the sides of your head help to collect sound waves which then travel down your ear canal towards the eardrum in the middle ear causing it to vibrate.
- This pulsation causes movement in the three middle ear bones (ossicles) making the sound vibrations bigger.
- The vibrations move through the last tiny ossicle into the first part of the inner ear called the cochlea. This is where the most fascinating aspect of this entire process occurs.
- The cochlea is filled with fluid and has an inner lining of tiny hair cells. Once the vibrations reach the cochlea, they cause movement of the fluid within it creating electrical signals that travel to your brain through the hearing nerve. Damaged hair cells in the cochlea are unable to transmit signals to the brain.
- Finally, the brain helps you to recognize and interpret the signals to determine how you will respond – with speech or take flight (in cases of loud noises when you are frightened).
It is obvious that damage to the hair cells in the cochlea and any inability to effectively collect and move sound waves through the outer and middle ears will result in varying degrees of hearing loss.
The Main Culprits Of Hearing Loss
Loud Noise
Hair cells in the cochlea can be easily damaged by loud noise. Let’s return to our analogy with waves on the beach. When large or huge waves hit against the shoreline of the beach with force (like a tsunami), anything in their way can be damaged.
The same is true for sound waves created by loud noise.
These sound waves move the hairs in the inner ear more and also very vigorously sometimes causing damage to them. Unfortunately, once damaged, these hair cells cannot be repaired and your hearing will be impacted.
Many seniors and the elderly complain of “ringing in the ears” which is also called tinnitus. This is an early sign of hearing loss induced by loud noise.
Ongoing noise can create a similar effect.
Because of the damage to the hair cells in the cochlea, only hearing aids or other devices can improve the degrees of hearing loss.
Age
As people grow older, it is quite normal and common to lose some efficiency in the functioning of the hearing apparatus.
Look at it as part of the “wear and tear” on this enormous human machine we call the body, just like the wear and tear on your “old reliable” car which you love and don’t want to give it up, hence you take it to the mechanic to replace the worn down parts.
The same is true of our hearing. Parts may get worn due to age, resulting in age-related hearing loss but you certainly do not want to give up your hearing!.
In this case, many seniors start thinking they will benefit from the use of hearing aids or other devices and in some cases, even surgery.
Other Causes
These include illness, genetics, trauma, and certain medications. We will discuss these more thoroughly in a future post.
The 5 Degrees Of Hearing Loss And Choice of The Best Hearing Aids For Seniors
When you visit a hearing professional, they take measurements of your sound dB (decibels) and Hz (hertz) to assess the degree of hearing loss you have in each ear.
The results are used to produce audiograms to match you to one of the 5 degrees of hearing loss used within the profession to determine the type of treatment to apply. To put this in context, the higher the decibel, the higher the degree of hearing loss.
The general classification presented here is from the American Speech Hearing Language Association (ASHA). Source: Clark, J.G (1981): Uses and abuses of hearing loss classification. ASHA Volume 23, pp 493 – 500.
Some literature reviewed showed some very minor differences in classification based on the magnitude of the decibels.
Normal Hearing – People with normal hearing can hear sound vibrations as low as a range of minus 10 – 15 dB. Listening to sounds at and above 85 dB for more than 8 hours at a time can result in any one of the 5 degrees of hearing loss listed below.
The threshold of experiencing pain in the ears begins at 140 dB.
Degree 1. Slight Hearing Loss Sufferers Also Need The Best Hearing Aids for Seniors
- Hear conversational speech and other sounds above the range of 15 – 25 dB and struggle to listen to really soft-spoken conversations and sounds.
- Have difficulty hearing quieter sounds below this range such as like whispering, rustling of leaves or the consonants on the ends of words like “trees”, “bees”, “dish”, “please”.
Degree 2. Mild Hearing Loss Can Be Improved with the Best Hearing Aids for Seniors
- Have difficulty understanding certain words when there is a lot of background noise. This occurs for hearing loss between 26 – 40 dB.
Degree 3. Moderate Hearing Loss Can Benefit from the Best Hearing Aids for Seniors
- Frequently ask people to repeat themselves during any conversations (person-person-person or over the
phone). They generally cannot hear sounds or conversations lower than 40 – 69 dB.
phone). They generally cannot hear sounds or conversations lower than 40 – 69 dB.Degree 4. Severe Hearing Loss
- Can only hear loud conversations and sounds between 70 – 94 dB
- They are unable to hear any conversations at normal levels without using hearing aids or amplifiers
- They may rely on lip-reading to understand conversations
Degree 5. Profound Hearing Loss
- They cannot hear any conversational speech
- They can only hear extremely loud sounds above 95 dB which is already above the threshold (85 dB) of sound that can cause damage to hearing.
When hearing loss occurs between the moderate and severe ranges, the degree of loss is classified as moderately severe hearing loss and if it falls between severe and profound, it is classified as severely profound.
Conclusion – The Best Hearing Aids for Seniors
The 5 Degrees Of Hearing Loss Are The Basics you must understand in any discussion of the best hearing aids for seniors
As the pieces of the jig-saw begin to fit together, knowledge of the basics and the degrees of hearing loss will make you a more confident senior.
You can then take the next step toward acquiring the best appropriate hearing aid which is booking an appointment with your hearing professional.
The next post will address frustrations with “ringing in the ears” experienced by many seniors and the elderly.
If you enjoyed reading this article or have an experience or comment you would like to share, kindly engage by leaving it below in the Comment box.
Related Articles
- Top Rated Amplifiers -Do They Work?
- Affordable Hearing Aids for Seniors – The Right Choice
- How to Choose Hearing Aids. Do you Need Amplifiers?
- Causes of Sudden Hearing Loss in One Ear
References – The Best Hearing Aids For Seniors
Degree of Hearing Loss (2020) https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Degree-of-Hearing-Loss/
WHO-ITU global standard for safe listening devices and systems (2020) https://www.who.int/deafness/make-listening-safe/standard-for-safe-listening/en/.
Hearing loss and deafness: Normal hearing and impaired hearing (2017) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK390300/
WHO Deafness and Hearing Loss (2020) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss
Thanks for sharing this article. In these days, when headphones are almost like an extra limb, it’s important to take care of our hearing. I like your article a lot. You’ve given me something to think about. Thanks again and keep doing a good job.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article Ivan. If we only knew then what we know now about our hearing there possibly would be very limited need for hearing aids.
Ceci
Was looking at the comparison between safe decibel levels and the regular occurrences of the sounds we confront within our normal lifestyle. We really have to be mindful of what’s going on, might be time to invest in some earplugs.
Thanks for your comment Johan. It is so true! I was really surprised that some of the sounds we normally encounter within our day-to-day activities are damaging to our ears.
Hi Ceci. Another great post, the Db list was very interesting. My ann was in denial with her hearing loss which was very hard for us. She has now come to terms with it a bit more.
Glad you liked the article Russ. I must say that i was just as shocked as you were when I researched the information for the dB list. Apparently, many of the noises we encounter in our day to day activities are above the threshold of 85dB!
Cici, thank you for this article and the in depth discussion of how hearing works and what can cause it to fail. I have decided that it’s time to speak to my doctor about my potential hearing loss. This will certainly help me to start the conversation.
Cynthia,
Glad that I have been able to expose you to some of the issues surrounding hearing loss. I’m also super happy that you are taking action by going to have a conversation with your doctor. It’s never too early!
Ceci
This is very useful information, especially about the degrees of hearing loss and all the great resources you linked to. I also enjoyed the description of the hearing process, being a science nerd myself.
I hope it is many many years before I have to worry about age-related hearing loss. But it is also useful to realize that many normal sounds are loud enough to cause damage, and that the level where we feel pain is above that point and therefore a not good indicator to rely on.
Congratulations on an excellent post.
Thanks Bryce for taking the time to read this article. Glad that you found it useful.
I was just as shocked as you are, when I discovered while researching this article, that many normal “everyday” sounds are actually above the acceptable threshold of sound and that they can over time, cause damage. Awareness is key to maintaining our hearing.
Ceci
Hearing loss is again a very common condition and most people don’t even know they have it. It was nice to read about all the best devices that can be used to help people in this condition. I must say that your study of the subject is very thorough.
Thank u.
Aps
Hearing loss is generally regarded as “old people’s condition”, but it actually starts much much earlier in life with all the abuse we subject our hearing to!
Ceci
Hello Ceci,
I have some experience with this topic, even though I am only 35 and have near-perfect hearing. My grandfather was a conductor for freight trains his entire career and there are a lot of noises in that profession that damage hearing (engine noise, metal screeches from the tracks, bangs, grinding and similar things in the shop.
His hearing loss caused a huge change in his life. He lost confidence almost entirely in social settings because he could rarely hear conversation and people had to speak very loudly for him to participate. It made him not want to go out at all. He would sit at home day after day, watching television (he had two hearing aids AND a headphone system for the TV) because he could control it and he never had to say, “what?”
I know technology and health research are much more advanced now and I feel hopeful for those that may find themselves in similar situations.
Thank you for helping those that need it,
Tyler
You are quite right Tyler. Technology advancements are improving the quality of life of of not only seniors and the elderly, but anyone who is hard of hearing or suffering for hearing loss.
Ceci