March 3 is World Hearing Day: Hearing Care for All

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 466 million people or 15% of the total population worldwide suffer from a hearing impairment and that number is expected to rise to 900 million in the next 30 years. Since 2007 WHO has celebrated March 3rd as World Hearing Day to raise awareness around this serious and very common condition. WHO’s theme for 2021 is “Hearing Care For All! Screen, Rehabilitate, Communicate” which strives to address hearing loss on an individual and institutional level.

Policies on Hearing Loss Worldwide

Policies around the world to address hearing loss have followed an advancing scientific understanding of the impact of hearing loss on health. Now hearing loss is understood not only to be an ear issue but a communication and safety issue.  On a pediatric level, it is now understood that hearing loss impacts a child’s intellectual, social, and emotional development.  Regular testing from a young age is now common to detect and treat a hearing loss before it can have a life-lasting impact on a person’s development. However,  hearing loss is an issue that affects an individual at any stage of life. While the most common type of hearing loss is age-related affecting one in three over 65, and half of those 75 in the US, hearing loss can affect people of all ages. In 2017, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution calling on countries worldwide to ensure that ear and hearing care is accessible to people across the lifespan in addition to early-life interventions. 

Hearing Care For All

Hearing loss can create major rifts in relationships at home and at work, impacting friendships between loved ones and decreasing hearing ability significantly. This can not only lead to lower self-esteem but chronic depression as hearing loss goes untreated. As depression continues over years it can cause individuals to self-isolate and that isolation increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The more severe the hearing loss the greater your chances of developing dementia earlier or at all increase. For a mild hearing loss, the risk is doubled but as hearing loss becomes moderate, the risk triples and a severe hearing loss raises the risk of developing dementia five-fold! 

Treating Hearing Loss

The good news is that while most cases of hearing loss are irreversible hearing loss can be treated effectively using hearing aids. While hearing aids do not replace original hearing, they can amplify the sounds and tones you struggle with making the people and sounds in your life much more audible. Studies show that using hearing aids regularly can improve relationships, increase earnings at work and slow cognitive decline leading to dementia significantly. However, despite the benefits of these tiny devices, most health insurance companies in the United States currently do not cover hearing aids. While some states do cover hearing care, this often is limited to only the initial screening. Health insurance companies defend this decision by saying that hearing aids are elective, despite growing research highlighting the significant improvement to the quality of life that hearing aids deliver.

Screen, Rehabilitate, Communicate!

There is work in the government to make hearing aids affordable to all. However, if you are living with hearing loss it is not in your best interest to wait that long.  The price of untreated hearing loss only continues to compound as the years go on. The sooner you identify and treat a hearing loss the sooner you can mitigate depression, social isolation, cognitive strain and more. Don’t ignore your hearing health, thinking it is something that is not important. No matter what age you are it is a good idea to have your hearing checked regularly. Hearing loss begins slowly, often unnoticed, but that does not mean that it is not already affecting cognitive ability and mental health. Studies show that even a slight hearing loss can cause most to score lower on brain tests in recall and speed. 

Schedule a Test Today

Use World Hearing Day as an excuse and schedule a hearing test as soon as possible. If a hearing impairment is present, we can help explore your treatment options.  The sooner you deal with your hearing health the sooner you can continue to enjoy the life you love, ensuring your quality of life will not be impacted by what you can hear.