Hearing Loss Negatively Affects Quality of Life

According to research presented at the American Psychological Association’s annual meeting, hearing loss is undertreated despite evidence that hearing-aid technology can significantly lessen depression and anxiety, in addition to improving cognitive function. In a study of 2,304 people with hearing loss, those who didn’t wear hearing aids were 50-percent more likely to suffer from depression than people who did wear them. Additionally, hearing aid users were much more likely to participate in social activities regularly. “Anger, frustration, depression and anxiety are all common among people who find themselves hard of hearing,” said the lead author of the study. A technology known as a hearing loop could also help those with hearing loss become more social and involved. Like Wi-Fi for hearing aids, the technology uses an inductive loop to transmit sound signals directly into an in-ear hearing aid or cochlear implant, where it is received by an inductive device called a telecoil. A technology known as a “hearing loop” could also help those with hearing loss become more social and involved. Like Wi-Fi for hearing aids, the technology uses an inductive loop to transmit sound signals directly into an in-ear hearing aid or cochlear implant, where it is received by an inductive device called a telecoil. Efforts to have hearing loops installed in public places around the U.S. have gained momentum in recent years with new manufacturers designing and marketing hearing-loop amplifiers for a wide variety of installations, such as home-TV rooms, taxis, auditoriums and airports. To read more about this study, click here.