Hearing loss is a common disorder in older people; it is thought that about 35% of people 65 to 75 years of age suffer from hearing loss to some degree and half of all people over the age of 75 will suffer from some form of hearing loss.

It is when older people suffer from a gradual loss of hearing that the hearing loss is referred to as Presbycusis, and the loss usually associated with Presbycusis is the range of higher pitched sounds.

When a person suffers from this type of hearing loss they find it extremely difficult to hear the ringing of a telephone but they can hear low rumbling sounds such as a truck going down the street clearly.

There are a number of factors that can contribute towards a person going deaf or becoming hard of hearing, age is one of the most common and some degree of deafness or loss of hearing will occur in over 50% of all people over the age of 60.

Growing older

Studies have shown that most people will lose there hearing to some degree as we age and this loss will worsen the older we get, nothing can be done to cure loss of hearing in old age but modern technology can play a big part in making life easier for older people in the form of hearing aids.

One of the main causes of the ruptured ear drum is the insertion of foreign objects such as cotton buds, most of us use these for cleaning around the ear and occasionally we may suffer slight hearing loss or “stuffy” ears which are due to wax build up.

Sometimes we try and remove the wax ourselves by use of cotton buds but this usually only succeeds in pushing the wax further into the ear and if pushed deep enough the wax can black the ear canal or be pressed up against the ear drum.

It is therefore important to remember not to try and remove any wax build up yourself if you think your slight hearing loss might be due to wax build up then visit your Doctor.

There are many home remedies for the removal of ear wax without the need for inserting cotton buds into your ear these are usually in the form of ear drops, they are designed to soften the wax but some of these products can actually have adverse effects on you and cause irritation of the ear. If the drops irritate and cause swelling in the ear canal this is called Otitis exterrna.

Some people think that the deaf and hard of hearing place a burden on society, so how can this burden be reduced? Studies have shown that children with hearing impairments often suffer from delayed development in learning language and speech skills which results in slow progression in school.

In adults there hearing loss or deafness often makes it difficult for them to gain employment and keep it. Children and both adults alike suffer isolation and there has always been a certain stigma involved with deafness and hearing problems.

The greater burden is felt in those people on low incomes because often they cannot afford the medical care they need to prevent loss of hearing or in the case of those already deaf or hard of hearing some can’t afford the expense of hearing aids to make there condition more manageable.

Here we have compiled a dossier of frequently asked questions concerning deafness and hearing loss which you may find helpful.

Q: Do deaf people like listening to music?

Studies have shown that many deaf and hard of hearing people do in fact enjoy music as much as those who can hear, the majority of those asked who loved music did have hearing to some extent but all deaf people can feel physical vibrations and this is often felt through music.

Deaf people will even dance to music, they are able to this either by standing close to a solid object such as a counter top or table and rest there hand on it, this way vibrations from the music will be felt through the object. The bass in the sound system is also relied upon as this will give out vibrations also.