Understanding Hearing Loss Can Also Help Treat It

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Medical awareness campaigns have become fairly common over the past few decades. And the public has proven itself quite receptive to most of their messages. It’s led to growing awareness of possible carcinogens, promising medical research and the human stories behind many of these ailments. But imagine if there were a debilitating medical condition which affected one in five people within the US.

Such a proposal might sound like something straight out of speculative fiction. But this goes to show that some medical issues still need the public’s attention. Because there is such a condition out there. It’s hearing loss, as measured and reported by the Hearing Loss Association of America. The severity can vary on a person by person basis. It can include everything from minor issues hearing voices over speakers to full deafness.

There’re two major reasons why people need to be more aware of how common hearing loss is. One huge reason is that there’s a disturbing lack of accommodation to people with hearing issues. For example, note how common it is for grocery stores to ensure wheelchair accessibility. Then consider how many of them have greeters who communicate only through spoken word. Or next time you’re using light rail or subway systems consider how much of it relies on hearing. Very few public transit systems are entirely usable for people with hearing loss.

The situation has been improving in recent years. But there’s far more need for public awareness. And alongside this, there’s another important reason for greater public awareness. Consider someone experiencing minor hearing issues in Marion County. He might simply put it down to environmental noise, other people speaking too softly or any number of things. But he may well not even know that stepping in to a hearing clinic Marion County IN is an option.

Were he to do so he’d have some impressive resources available to him. One of the most important is a hearing test. People often mistake hearing as a binary condition. Where one can either hear or not hear. But in reality, it’s a more fuzzy subject. People often find their hearing degrading only among specific frequencies. But like bad eyesight, one can’t count on it remaining that way forever. A hearing test can specifically determine which areas someone has difficulty with. And it can also help provide mechanical assistance to compensate.

People have been using technology to improve ailing hearing since the 17th century. But some of the biggest advances have occurred within the past few decades. And in particular the continual miniaturization of powerful computing elements has proven an invaluable resource.

But people often don’t know that treatments are available. And they might not even know how fast and easy a hearing test is. This is yet another reason why continued awareness is so important. People who understand the complexity of hearing loss will have a greater chance of noticing it within their lives. Whether within their own personal experiences or from the behaviors of loved ones. And when people know to look for hearing loss, they know to look for treatment as well.

 

 

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