A word in your ear - The Jewish Chronicle

WITH SO many things on our mind over recent months one can be forgiven for ignoring that nagging worry that our hearing isn’t what it used to be. There are lots of signs — constantly having to ask people to repeat what they’ve said and not being able to hear people on the phone, for instance. However these are both easily ignored, after all younger people tend to mumble a lot these days, we say — yet that doesn’t explain why our partner or friends (when friends were allowed to visit) commented on how loud the TV was, or why it was often difficult to understand conversations in a noisy environment such as a café.

Taken in isolation, each of these “symptoms” is just a minor irritant and they are often mitigated by the brain’s ability to make up for the hearing deficit. Sound is composed of many frequencies, which vibrate the air reaching the ear-drum and are then turned back into sound and interpreted by the brain. Early hearing loss often affects only some of these frequencies, so for example, you miss particular sounds in speech such as in words containing S, H or F. Your brain does its best to fill in the missing words but sometimes gets it wrong, leading to embarrassing moments.

In the present pandemic, this all seems unimportant, something that can wait until better times. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth. There is growing evidence that untreated hearing loss can be a factor in dementia in later life. A study in France followed almost 4,000 people aged over 65, for up to 25 years, and of these, 1,300 reported hearing problems. The researchers found that among those with hearing loss who did not use hearing aids, there was an increased risk of disability and dementia, and, in men only, an increased risk of depression. These associations were not found in participants using hearing aids.

People who find it difficult to hear in a noisy environment may deal with this by avoiding joining in conversations or, worse, withdrawing from situations where this might happen. This can lead to social isolation and depression.

A study by another group of researchers, led by Dr Piers Dawes of Manchester University, found a reduction in the rate of cognitive (or mental) decline following the correction of hearing loss using hearing aids. Memory tests were given before and after the fitting of hearing aids to over 2,000 people and, even after taking into account other factors, the rate of cognitive decline was reduced after hearing loss was corrected.

Small wonder then that north London audiologist Nathan Gluck advocates regular hearing checks, particularly for those over 55 years old.

“A third of all people over the age of 55 have a significant hearing loss,” he says, “yet because this loss is gradual, many people just don’t realise they have a problem until others around them begin to complain. Experience already shows that the earlier a hearing-impaired person seeks help, the quicker and easier their rehabilitation is, so it really is important that everyone has regular hearing tests to ensure any hearing loss is picked up and resolved.”

Gluck, who has practised in North and North West London and in Middlesex and Hertfordshire for more than 26 years, says dementia is a growing problem around the world and has a huge impact on those who have to live with it, as well as on their family and friends. While experts say the most serious risk is ageing, dementia isn’t inevitable, so any factor that might reduce mental decline should be seized upon.

Now, after many months of pandemic, we may wish to look afresh at what is important in our lives, such as our hearing health.

“We recommend a hearing test every two years,” says Gluck. “Even if the test does not uncover hearing loss, it means we have a baseline upon which to compare further assessments in the future. And, of course, if a hearing loss is detected there is so much we can do to help.”

The days have gone when a hearing aid was simply an amplifier which picked up sounds and made them louder (often whistling in the process). There have been huge technological advances in hearing aid design and functionality. For example, instruments like the Audeo Marvel, launched by Phonak.

The four key requirements of excellence in hearing care are sound quality, adjustability, adaptability and battery life. “Obviously what you hear should be sound of the highest quality. However, this hearing aid uses digital technology to enable the user to resolve one of the biggest issues facing people with hearing loss, making it possible to enjoy better speech understanding in noisy environments,” he says. “Because it is easier on the ear, it takes less listening effort and that significantly reduces the tiredness reported by the users of some other hearing instruments.”

“That said, life is about more than just face-to-face conversations. We all watch television, listen to the radio, enjoy recorded music or use internet or the telephone. The Marvel hearing aids deliver this by connecting directly to smartphones (iOS or Android) or to other Bluetooth® enabled devices. This means hands-free phone calls and pleasure from television or from favourite music, e-books, or podcasts.”

Increasingly in our data-driven age, people demand the ability to make adjustments themselves without having to refer to a professional. Phonak offers its users an app which allows access to the hearing aid computer via their smartphone. As well as checking the status of the instruments (including battery life), wearers can make adjustments such as turning the volume up or down or select programs for defined listening situations. They can even create preferred settings for specific listening situations or set up a video consultation with their audiologist.

Previously a big issue for hearing aid users has been the size and charge-life of the batteries that are used. The smaller (and more discreet) the hearing aid, the tinier the batteries needed to operate them. Of course, smaller batteries are not easy to handle and can be fiddly to insert and have shorter lives. With no indication of when they were about to expire, users had to carry spares or risk suddenly losing their hearing help.

There’s no battery changing with the Marvel — it uses powerful rechargeable technology offering a full day of use.

Many of these features are available on other state-of-the-art hearing devices but the Marvel is an example of how technology has made hearing correction so much better.

If you or your family suspect you may have hearing loss, Gluck recommends a simple do-it-yourself test. Do you:

l Have difficulty following  conversations?

l Ask others to repeat themselves?

l Complain that people mumble or speak too fast?

l Find it especially difficult to hear and understand women and  children?

l Have ringing in your ears?

l Have a favourite ear?

l Have trouble hearing on the  telephone?

l Find yourself turning up the  volume of your television?

l F eel tired after listening in  challenging environments?

If you take the test and get lots of ticks, don’t worry, you won’t be alone. As Gluck says, one in six of us has some degree of hearing loss and the older you get, the more likely it is you will be affected. According to the national charity Action on Hearing Loss, more than 40 per cent of people over 50 years old have hearing loss and this rises to 71 per cent of those over 70 years-old.

Nathan Gluck can be contacted on on 0800 781 0422, info@nathangluckhearingcare.co.uk, nathangluckhearingcare.co.uk

The practice follows full Covid-secure guidelines