The Stages of Hearing Loss

The Stages of Hearing Loss

1. The first stage is denial in which the person does not believe they have a hearing issue. They could also blame responsibility on others saying that they do not have a problem and others just mumble. However denial is usually temporary until the person acknowledges they have a hearing problem and are helped towards treatment.

2. Withdrawal occurs soon after denial when the individual doesn't expose themselves in situations where hearing is difficult.

3. Anger is the next stage. Hearing impaired people are sometimes grouchy and become isolated from others. This happens when the person begins to comment less or inaccurately because they can't completely hear others talking.

4. Loss of self esteem turns into the depression state. Social isolation and feelings of loneliness make what was easy yesterday, difficult today. Involving the person in conversations and activities can help prevent this stage.

5. The last stage is acceptance of receiving hearing loss treatment in the forms of hearing instruments, aural rehabilitation, and auditory training.


Help your loved ones by recognizing the stages and guiding them to acceptance of their hearing loss. The sooner they reach the acceptance stage, the sooner they can receive treatment and once again experience communication with the people and loved ones around them.

What exactly causes Hearing Loss?

                 What exactly causes Hearing Loss?

                Coping with hearing loss can affect your life in many ways. Talks with friends and family may become more difficult as words seem to fade in regular conversation. It becomes difficult to enjoy all there is out of life when you're missing what everyone has to say. People may start to think that you are confused, uncaring, or being difficult when in fact you just can't hear that well. If left untreated, problems resulting from hearing loss can get much worse.

Hearing loss may be caused by the aging process, ear wax buildup, bacterial or viral infections, tumors, heredity, head injuries, strokes and some medicines.  Most commonly, exposure to loud noises (over 85 decibels) for a long period of time could be the cause of your hearing loss. So be sure you're protecting your ears with ear plugs when surrounded by loud noises.

Watch the video below for some useful information on the causes and prevention of noise-induced hearing loss.

Help your loved ones find Happiness.

Help your elderly loved ones experiencing a loss of hearing find Happiness.

Hearing aids help improve the quality of life. Find hearing loss treatment in order to allow improvement in social, emotional, psychological, and physical well-being.

Hearing treatments provide beneficial improvements in:

§  Earning power

§  Communication in relationships

§  Intimacy and warmth in family relationships through ease in communication

§  Emotional stability and confidence

§  Physical health

§  Sense of control  over life events

§  Perception of mental functioning

            Untreated hearing loss has been linked to depression and social isolation within Seniors.

Tests have proven seniors without hearing treatments have more feelings of anger and depression. These same seniors are less involved in social activities causing social isolation through the years. Hearing treatment has shown to provide significant improvements in their relationships at home as well as giving a sense of independence in their social life. Help your loved ones experiencing loss of hearing to become more confident and maintain a positive state of mental health and safety in their lives.

Anatomy of the Human Ear: Relation to Hearing Loss

Anatomy of the Human Ear

The ear itself is composed of four basic areas which work together to convert sound waves into electric signals that the brain then turns into sound. The outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, and central auditory are all general parts of the ear that work together to create a person’s sense of balance and hearing.

The outer section of the ear acts as a sound funnel as the walls produce wax, moving it toward the outside of the ear as a natural extraction of the wax. Wax protects the ear, removing particles and germs away from the ear drum.

The middle of the ear is mostly an air filled space with 3 tiny bones called the ossicular chain. These bones attach to the back of the ear drum and connected the middle of the ear to the back of the nose and throat via the Eustachian tube. This tube maintains an equal air pressure within the middle of the ear. The eardrum and the ossicular chain respond to sound waves entering the ear canal by vibrations.

The inner ear consists of a small snail-shaped organ set in the bone of the skull called the cochlea. Tiny hairs are present in this area and swing in motion from sound vibrations traveling through the ear towards the brain.

Several causes like a build up of wax in the ear canal, a hole in the eardrum, a build-up of fluid, an infection in the middle of the ear and issues regarding the tiny bones in the middle of the ear all can result in a loss of hearing.

Harmful Noise Levels

Harmful Noise Levels

Loud/harmful noise levels play a large role in damaging your hearing. Some individuals are more sensitive to certain sounds than others depending on the frequency level of that particular noise. Frequency in sound determines how low or how high a tone is; which are measured in decibels.

Noise Levels (in decibels):

Average threshold of hearing	15
Soft whisper, leaves rustling, soft music	30
Average at home noise/ quiet office	40
Normal conversation, background music	60
Noisy office, inside a car at 60 mph	70
Vacuum cleaner, average radio	75
Traffic, noisy restaurant	80
Window unit air conditioner/grinder	85
Heavy truck/subway/ orchestra	90
Lawn/power mower/ jack hammer	95
Boom box, ATV, motorcycle/crane	100
Chainsaw, leaf blower, snowmobile/bulldozer	105
Rock group/band	110
Snowmobile, pile driver	115
Jet taking off	130
Shot gun blast	140

A level 80 and below can be a usual eight hour day without using ear protection or causing damage.

Exposure over 80 decibels can cause temporary hearing loss which can lead to permanent damage with continuous exposure.

 Above 130 decibels may cause pain and instant hearing damage/loss.

Tips on Maintaining Your Hearing Aid

Maintaining Your Hearing Aid:

Buildup of earwax on hearing aid:

If you wear your hearing aid behind your ear, it inevitably gets wax buildup. First, detach ear piece and tube from the electronics.

Prepare false tooth cleaner (tablet) in a cup and soak the ear piece and tube.

Place it on a clean surface to air dry.

Piece will be ready to assemble and use again after completely dried.

Switch it off when not in use.-This will ensure you have a working battery when not in use and save you money in the long run.

Replace the batteries quickly-Avoid leaving dead batteries in the device for too long so you don't have to reprogram it.

Clean and inspect your hearing aid often. -Familiarize yourself with the cleaning instructions and always be sure to check battery compartment for corrosion or rust. Use a q-tip with rubbing alcohol to clean if you spot any rust or corrosion.

Check for condensation in your ear-mold tubing or ear hooks. Condensation can block out sound completely. If you notice tiny droplets of water inside the ear mold blow out condensation with an ear mold blower.

*Always make sure your ears are completely dry before putting in the device. Even damp aids can ruin the device.

Bringing the gift of hearing to the Dominican Republic.

Mike Wheeler has been helping Audibel bring the gift of hearing to the people of the Dominican Republic, Zambia, and Mexico City. Thousands of adults and children have been fitted for hearing aids changing their once mute world into a world full of sounds.

Do I Need Hearing Aids?

Do I Need Hearing Aids?

What are some signs of hearing loss?

• Do you complain that people are mumbling?
• Do you frequently ask people to repeat what they have said?
• Do you have increased difficulty understanding what people are saying in background?
• Do you prefer the television or radio louder than other people?
• Do you have trouble understanding what is being said at the movies or theater, your house of worship, or other public gatherings?
• Do you have difficulty understanding conversations in a group?
• Do you become more impatient, irritable, frustrated, or withdrawn?
• Do you have difficulty understanding people when you cannot see their faces?
• Have you had any significant noise exposure at work, recreation or in military service?
• Do you have a ringing in the ears or other head noises (hissing, buzzing, crickets, etc.)?

Fun Hearing Facts

Fun Hearing Facts:

1. Fish do not have ears, but they can hear pressure changes through ridges on their body.

2. The ear’s malleus, incus and stapes (otherwise known as the hammer, anvil and stirrup) are the smallest bones in the human body. All three together could fit together on a penny.

3. The ear continues to hear sounds, even while you sleep.

4. Sound travels at the speed of 1,130 feet per second, or 770 miles per hour.

5. Dogs can hear much higher frequencies than humans.

6. Ears not only help you hear, but also aid in balance.

7. Snakes hear through the jaw bone and through a traditional inner ear. In essence, snakes have two distinct hearing mechanisms, which helps them hear and catch prey.

8. Sitting in front of the speakers at a rock concert can expose you to 120 decibels, which will begin to     damage hearing in only 7 1/2 minutes.

9. Thirty-seven percent of children with only minimal hearing loss fail at least one grade.

10. Male mosquitoes hear with thousands of tiny hairs growing on their antennae.

Statistics on Hearing Loss

                Statistics on Hearing Loss

• Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women.
• Approximately 17 percent (36 million) of American adults report some degree of hearing loss.
• There is a strong relationship between age and reported hearing loss: 18 percent of American adults 45-64 years old, 30 percent of adults 65-74 years old, and 47 percent of adults 75 years old or older have a hearing impairment.
• About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or hard-of-hearing. Nine out of every 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who can hear.
• The NIDCD estimates that approximately 15 percent (26 million) of Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to loud sounds or noise at work or in leisure activities.
• Only 1 out of 5 people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one.
• Three out of 4 children experience ear infection (otitis media) by the time they are 3 years old.
• Of adults ages 65 and older in the United States, 12.3 percent of men and nearly 14 percent of women are affected by tinnitus.
• Approximately 188,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants. In the United States, roughly 41,500 adults and 25,500 children have received them.
• Approximately 4,000 new cases of sudden deafness occur each year in the United States. Hearing loss affects only 1 ear in 9 out of 10 people who experience sudden deafness. Only 10 to 15 percent of patients with sudden deafness know what caused their loss.
• Approximately 615,000 individuals have been diagnosed with Ménière’s disease in the United States. Another 45,500 are newly diagnosed each year.

Two-year-old boy hears his mother's voice for the first time.

A two-year-old boy squeals as he hears his mother say his name for the first time. Cooper was born deaf but just fitted with a high-tech hearing aid. These hearing aids allow people who are profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing to be able to experience the wonderful world of sounds and connect on a level once considered unimaginable.

Marvel creates superhero for boy with hearing aid

A little boy wears a hearing aid but doesn't want to. Superheroes don't wear hearing aids. So his mom writes to Marvel Comics. Marvel decides to create a new superhero, complete with hearing aid, just for the little boy.