While the do-it-yourself, or DIY, mentality is quite appealing in many areas of life, your health is an area in which it’s often best to consult the experts. The biggest hurdle for most Americans is the wealth of information, and often misinformation, that is available at just the click of a button. This has led far too many people to opt for speed over quality when searching for options to deal with hearing loss.
Quick Fixes
Those suffering from hearing loss, particularly among the senior and veteran populations, are increasingly seeking out cheaper and faster solutions. The problem is that hearing loss is not a problem with a formulaic cookie-cutter solution. Rather, it must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Hearing challenges are often so much more complex than simply not hearing well.
As the number of people suffering from hearing loss continues to increase, the conundrum of self-diagnosis morphs into a dangerous and costly game. According to the Hearing Health Foundation, more than 50 million Americans are dealing with hearing loss, and the number is steadily rising. One in five adults as well as one in five teenagers and three out of five veterans are plagued with hearing concerns.
Effects of Hearing Loss
When someone struggles with hearing loss, the effects reach far beyond the ears. Hearing loss affects social interactions and can increase safety risk factors, such as not being able to hear alarms and warning sounds. Hearing loss may negatively affect employment and can even be a symptom of other underlying medical conditions. Some studies have even linked hearing loss to dementia.
Risk Factors
Hearing loss is often associated with older populations. However, given the intense levels of noise encountered in everyday life, hearing loss is striking at an even younger age. Concerts, sporting events, normal city sounds, headphones and operating loud machinery all contribute to gradual hearing loss. Unlike auditory trauma, this incremental loss can be more frightening in the way it slips under the radar, unnoticed until it is often too late to reverse.
Market Saturation
Today’s market is saturated with hearing aids of varying complexities, including those with multiple frequencies that provide infinite ways for sound to enter the ear. These digital devices require the skills of an extensively trained and qualified professional in order to safely and effectively address your unique issues. Follow-up care is also essential to maintaining health and functionality.
The Solution
Like most health issues, hearing loss is about more than the ear. A holistic diagnosis digs deeper into health history and daily habits to unearth the root cause of hearing loss. Only an experienced audiologist is equipped to offer an appropriate treatment plan combined with medical referrals as deemed necessary. When it comes to your hearing, there can be no shortcuts.