Clearing the Way for Hearing
Fact checked by Jim Lacy Earwax buildup can block hearing and affects roughly 15% of the U.S. population, rising to more than 30% in older adults. A visual ear exam can identify the problem, and professional cleaning often restores clarity quickly. At birth, humans have approximately 16,000 hearing cells in each ear. However, hearing loss […]
Sense of Place
Studies show that hearing loss increases a person’s risk of falling. Why might that be — and what can you do about it? No matter where Louis is — working downtown, riding his bike, traveling — his thoughts drift to his 95-year-old mother. More than anything, he worries about her falling. Louis (whose name has […]
Our Top 10 Stories of 2022
What did our readers want to read about in 2022? It was a mixed bag! Our top 10 stories range from powerful supplements to cultural care, aging’s anxieties to head injuries. People had a lot of questions about aging and caregiving — and we were here for them. Thank you to all of the caregivers, […]
All Ears
Hearing aids and support groups help people counter hearing loss Picture the scene: A person with hearing impairment claims they don’t have a problem. They say they can hear perfectly fine, if only others stopped mumbling all the time. Meanwhile family members — tired of endlessly shouting or repeating themselves — plead with their […]
TV Volume Wars
Tech tools can help with hearing loss, without pumping up the volume Louder is not always better. Certainly, that’s the case with TV volume. Many older adults with hearing loss turn up the TV volume to high levels, much to the chagrin of anyone else in the home. TV volume wars can be daunting, but […]
Hearing Aids Turn High-Tech
When Dennis Risen, 71, was in his early 30s, he noticed he was having difficulty following conversations with friends in group settings. “If the speaker changed from one (person) to the next, I was always behind because I was using a little lip reading to listen to them. It was affecting me socially, and I […]
Good hearing essential to physical and emotional well-being
Harvard Health Blog For many years, it was clear that my father was becoming hard of hearing. Normally gregarious and the life of the party, he became increasingly withdrawn because he couldn’t hear well enough to partake in conversations around the table. He began to walk with a shuffling gait. He was declining in front […]