Hearing Loss in Seniors: Causes & Care

By: Caren Parnes For The Senior’s Choice


Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. Roughly a third of Americans age 65 to 74, and 50% of those 75 and older have hearing loss.

Types of Hearing Loss
There are two general categories of hearing loss:

Sensorineural Hearing Loss: This occurs when there is damage to the inner ear or the auditory nerve. This type of hearing loss is permanent.

Conductive Hearing Loss: This occurs when sound waves cannot reach the inner ear. The cause may be earwax build-up, fluid, or a punctured eardrum. Medical or surgical treatment can usually restore conductive hearing loss.

One form of hearing loss, presbycusis, comes on gradually as a person ages. Presbycusis can occur because of changes in the inner ear, auditory nerve, middle ear or outer ear. Some of its causes are aging, loud noise, heredity, head injury, infection, illness, certain prescription drugs and circulation problems such as high blood pressure. Presbycusis commonly affects people over 50, many of whom are likely to lose some hearing each year.

Tinnitus, also common in older people, is the ringing, or hissing sound in the ears frequently caused by exposure to loud noise or certain medicines. Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease, so it can accompany any type of hearing loss. Tinnitus can come and go, or it can persist or stop altogether. Tinnitus can also be a sign of other important health problems.

Symptoms & Diagnosis
You can help identify a possible hearing problem by asking yourself the following key questions:

If you answered “yes” to three or more of these questions, you could have a hearing problem and you may want to have your hearing checked by your doctor. In some cases, he or she can identify the problem and prescribe treatment. Your doctor may refer you to an otolaryngologist. This doctor and surgeon has special training in problems of the ear, nose, throat, head, and neck. Your doctor may also recommend that you visit an audiologist. An audiologist can identify and measure hearing loss.

Treatment & Research
Many people who have a hearing loss wear a hearing aid. A hearing aid is an electronic, battery-operated device that makes sounds louder to the wearer. Some hearing aids fit inside the ear canal, while others fit behind the ear. Hearing aids can be analog or digital. More advanced analog models can be adjusted with a computer to suit a number of environments, such as a room with a lot of background noise. Digital hearing aids use a computer chip to process sounds, and are the most flexible in adjusting to different environments. They are also the most expensive.

Other devices also can help you hear in certain listening environments. TV listening systems help you enjoy television or radio without being bothered by other sounds around you. Some telephones work with certain hearing aids to make sounds louder and remove background noise. If your hearing loss is severe and of a certain type, your doctor may suggest that you talk to a specialist about a cochlear implant. A cochlear implant does not restore or create normal hearing. Instead, it can help people who have a severe hearing loss be more aware of their surroundings and understand speech.■