Not Just for the Young Health Topics Maintaining Your Hearing by Dr. Debra Buckler Hearing loss is a common problem among elderly people. It is also a frustrating problem for both the afflicted person and those who interact with the afflicted person. Hearing loss can be divided into two categories, both of which increase with age. The first one is conducive hearing loss, which means that there is a mechanical problem with the transmission of the sound to the brain. The second category of hearing loss is neuronal hearing loss, which means that the hearing nerves or the brain itself is affected.
Most hearing loss begins with high pitched sounds.
Unfortunately, most hearing loss is progressive as well and will eventually involve the tones involved with speech. Treatment of hearing loss centers around devices that supplement the loss. Most often this will mean hearing aids. Hearing aids will not result in the same sound quality as natural hearing and often, people choose not to use them after acquiring them. In communicating with someone with hearing loss, it is important to remember to look at them directly and to speak clearly.