Key points about adult hearing loss
- One in every ten (28 million) Americans has a hearing loss, and as baby boomers reach retirement age , this number is expected to rapidly climb and double by the year 2030.
- Among seniors, hearing loss is the third most prevalent health disorder behind arthritis and hypertension.
- 33% of adults between the ages of 65 and 75 have some degree of hearing loss.
- 50% of seniors who are 75 years or older have a hearing loss.
- Most hearing losses occur gradually over a period of 25 to 30 years.
- The hearing aid is the second most widely used assistive device after the walking cane.
- While 95% of Americans with hearing loss could be successfully treated with hearing aids, only 20% currently use them.
- 30 million Americans are exposed to dangerous noise levels each day.
- Hearing loss is greater in men.
- 65% of people with hearing loss are below retirement age.
- Undetected hearing loss leads to lower earnings – $122 billion in lost wages each year across the U.S. economy.
- Only 16% of physicians routinely screen for hearing loss.
- If hearing loss is left unaided, some individuals become depressed and withdrawn from social contacts.
- Unaided severe hearing loss may mimic the symptoms of early stages of dementia.
- The risks of not hearing a smoke alarm, an intruder, a doctor’s advice, a vehicle horn, or other signals in everyday life could prove fatal or result in serious injury.
Sources:
www.nidcd.nih.gov
www.earinfo.com
www.soundmatters.org