Age-Related Hearing Loss: Symptoms, Causes & Hearing Aid Options

• When an elderly person begins to experience hearing difficulties such as not picking up everything that is being said to them, a ringing in the ears, needing to have things repeated multiple times, listening to the TV on a much louder setting than usual, speaking louder than usual and not hearing clearly, an appointment should be made with a doctor to undertake a hearing examination.
• Chronic disorders, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood lipids, as well as some forms of medication, are all factors that can result in rapid cochlear deterioration.
• There are currently no treatments available for the relief of age-related hearing deterioration, so when hearing difficulties begin to have a significant effect on the daily life of the sufferer, a hearing aid may be of assistance. However, in more serious cases including where the patient is already effectively deaf, doctors may consider surgery to install a cochlear implant.

 A loss of hearing occurs as a result of the aging process. It is caused due to a gradual degeneration of the inner ear that occurs as we get older. While age-related hearing difficulties are not as dangerous as some other forms of illnesses, they can have a significant impact on the daily life of the sufferer. The problem can lead to issues with communication between an elderly person and their caregiver, which could lead to misunderstandings regarding when to take medication or how to manage pre-existing health issues. In some cases, the hearing difficulties may lead the person to withdraw from society due to a lack of self-esteem, or even potentially resulting in stress and depression.

 The condition arises due to the cochlear hair cells of the inner ear deteriorating with age, with the with the cochlear hair cells often being the first to be affected. The older we get, the less we are able to hear high frequency sounds. With time, these hearing difficulties become more pronounced until mid-range frequencies, such as speech, also become harder to hear. All of this means that the elderly often cannot hear clearly, with the symptoms gradually worsening with age. Two other potential factors that quicken cochlear degeneration are some forms of medication and chronic health disorders, including diabetes, high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia. Also, in cases where the condition is neglected, hearing difficulties could end up leading to a serious loss of hearing.

Hearing loss refers to a reduction in hearing capabilities, which decreases in various levels, and are categorized as follows:

• A consultation with a doctor in order to undergo a full body checkup and review the patient’s medical history, as well as an assessment of their symptoms and an initial hearing examination
• A detailed inspection of the ears, including the outer ear, middle ear and inner ear (ears nerve system)
• In some cases, pure-tone and speech audiometry may be required. Additional tests such as auditory brainstem response (ABR) may also be performed to evaluate the auditory pathway.

• When they usually need to ask the person they are conversing with to repeat themselves
• When the person requires the TV volume to be much louder than normal
• When the person cannot hear clearly, losing some words from sentences that they hear
• When they experience a ringing in the ears
• When they start to speak more loudly than usual

• Avoid exposure to loud noises.
• Do not put anything in your ears apart from a medication prescribed by your doctor.
• If you feel pain in your ears or experience liquid seeping out of your ears, you should consult with a doctor straight away.
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet and partake in regular exercise to protect yourself against various disorders, such as high blood pressure, as this is a potential cause of hearing loss.

• Speak face-to-face with the person suffering from hearing loss.
• Avoid wearing a mask or anything else that could prevent them from seeing your mouth.
• Speak in short, concise sentences.
• Speak in a clear voice but do not shout.
• Try to speak when there are no other sounds to disturb you, for instance, a nearby TV.

As there is currently no medication capable of treating age-related hearing loss, cases where the loss of hearing begins to have a negative effect on the life of the sufferer may require doctors to consider the installation of a hearing aid, which can act as an amplifier for the sounds around them. The hearing aid is installed into the ear itself but can be removed where necessary. However, where the hearing loss is more severe or the patient is effectively deaf, doctors may consider surgery to install a cochlear implant into the inner ear.

If symptoms consistent with age-related hearing loss are just beginning to present themselves, the elderly person should be especially careful to be gentle on their ears, including regularly attending doctor’s appointments focused on testing their hearing levels. Furthermore, loud spaces should be avoided, any chronic disorder with the potential to accelerate hearing loss risk should be carefully managed, and ear drops that have not been prescribed by a doctor should not be used under any circumstances. Regular exercise, a healthy diet consisting of the 5 main food groups in moderation, sufficient rest and practicing mental wellbeing call all go a long in protecting against age-related hearing loss.

The Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Clinic at Samitivej Hospital provides complete diagnostic and treatment services for conditions affecting the ears, nose, and throat. With internationally trained specialists and state-of-the-art medical technology, we deliver accurate diagnosis and personalized care for a broad range of ENT concerns. These include hearing disorders, speech impairments, snoring, tumors, cancer, and congenital diseases.