If you notice that your loved ones start to struggle to communicate with others or ask close ones to repeat themselves often, they may be suffering from hearing loss. Read on to learn why your loved ones may start to suffer from hearing loss as they enter their golden years. Then learn the consequences of hearing loss in your loved ones. Lastly, learn how you can prevent your loved ones from having hearing loss when they enter their golden years,
Reasons of Hearing Loss in Your Loved Ones
- Aging
Research suggests that as your loved ones enter the ages of 65 to 75, one-third of them may start to suffer from hearing loss. With aging, your loved ones may start to suffer from gradual hearing loss. A loss of sound receptors in your ear, reduces the ability of your brain to translate the vibrations into sound.
- Ear Damage
Your loved ones may also suffer from ear damage, which can clog up your loved one’s ear and reduce their ability to hear.
- Build-up of wax
Also, your loved ones may start to suffer a build-up of wax in their inner ear and block their ear canal. This will prevent sound from entering your loved one’s ears. .
- Health conditions
Lastly, your loved ones may start to suffer from health conditions such as diabetes that can result in hearing loss.
Consequences of Hearing Loss in Your Loved Ones
Your loved ones may start to struggle to understand words, especially if there is background noise. Your loved ones may even struggle to communicate and withdraw from conversations with their family and friends. They may even start to avoid social events. This can lead to depression, anxiety, and a decreased quality of life. This can also increase your loved ones’ brain tissue loss and increase their risk of dementia.
How to Prevent Your Loved Ones from Having Hearing Loss
- Ensure your loved ones avoid harmful noise
You may want to encourage your loved ones to avoid harmful noise One way is by reducing the noise in their TV, car radio, and headphones.
Do encourage your loved ones to wear ear protective devices when they are mowing their lawns, hunting, snowmobiling, and jet skiing. If they are in an environment with prolonged noise exposure, encourage them to wear earplugs.
- Ensure your loved ones do not damage their ears
Ensure your loved ones do not stick any object into their ears to remove their earwax or to scratch their ear. Instead, encourage them to go to a doctor if they start to have a build-up of earwax.
- Encourage your loved ones to ensure that their ears are not pressured.
You may want to encourage your loved ones to always make sure that their ears are not under pressure. Do encourage them to blow their nose gently to relieve pressure on their ears. If they are traveling by plane, do encourage them to yawn and swallow frequently when they feel pressure in their ears.
With these tips, you can learn how to prevent hearing loss in seniors. If you need more assistance, our team at Discovery Commons At Wildewood welcome you to join us today!
