#hearing-loss

#hearing-loss

Whether he knows it or not, 6-foot-5 Zane Daoud of San Marino High is going to be a role model for kids born deaf. He was one of them, 60% deaf since birth. He rebelled against wearing hearing aids. He'd take them off constantly while growing up. By high school, he says he figured out how much they could help him and stopped worrying what people thought. He should be a top basketball player for Rio Hondo League favorite San Marino this season.

They might shout or slow down their words to an exaggerated crawl- veeeerrry slooowly -thinking it helps. But with hearing loss, louder isn't always better, and neither is overly slow speech. Both can distort the shape of words on the lips, making lipreading harder instead of easier. Others forget the basics. They turn away, cover their mouths, or call out from another room, expecting us to catch every word. (Spoiler alert: We won't.)

When I did eventually get the test, I found out what was really happening to me. I learned that a build-up of earwax ( don't use Q-tips!) had immobilized one of my eardrums completely. After the somewhat uncomfortable removal, the test was rerun. I do have some hearing loss, which isn't unusual at 72, but the audiologist feels I'm years away from needing hearing aids.

Hearing loss can cause psychological and emotional suffering, stemming from feelings of being dismissed, embarrassment in social situations, or self-isolation.

Hearing loss affects 42% of people over the age of 50, increasing to 71% of people over 70, highlighting the urgent need for proactive ear care.

The research identifies that audiometry-measured hearing loss in older adults contributed to 32% of new dementia cases over an eight-year study period.