Help for your hearing loss

New research has found that people between the ages of 50 and 65 who were fitted with hearing aids under a trial screening programme reported greater satisfaction with them than typical hearing aid recipients, who are on average around the age of 70, and have lived with declining hearing for several years.

The research [1] shows that people who are fitted with a hearing aid early make greater use of their aid, are able to hear speech better and participate more in social activities.

Deafness Research UK has produced a new booklet to help you recognise the early signs of hearing loss, and know what to do about it. The new booklet, Help for your hearing loss, is available from the Deafness Research UK Information Service:

• telephone: 020 7679 8970
• email:
• write to: Deafness Research UK, PO Box 49740, London, WC1X 8WU
   Order form

"Our own research has shown that 40% of people with a hearing problem admit that communication with their partner has become more difficult and a quarter of them say they are missing out on social events," says Vivienne Michael, Deafness Research UK's Chief Executive [2].

"What people perhaps don’t realise is that, thanks to digital technology, hearing aids are much more effective than they used to be, especially so if they are fitted early. This is because the longer the brain is deprived of sound stimulation, the harder it finds it to re-learn the sounds generated by a hearing aid." [3]

Notes

[1] Stephens, SDG, Gianopoulos I. Chapter 4. In: Davis A et al, editors. Acceptability, benefit and costs of early screening for hearing disability. Health Technology Assessment 2005

[2] Deafness Research UK (2002) Attitudinal Research Project

[3] Deafness Research UK would like to emphasise that hearing aids can benefit a person with a hearing loss at any age. "One gentleman we spoke to recently now realises he should have had hearing aids fitted over 20 years ago. He is thrilled to be able to talk on the telephone for the first time, and can now join in family conversations. He didn't realise until he got hearing aids how isolated he had been," said Ms Michael.