Helping A Family Member Accept Their Hearing Loss

Millions of people are affected by loss of hearing. Since hearing loss occurs gradually, many individuals have a hard time accepting they may suffer from hearing damage and refuse to obtain a hearing test. It is important for family members to take part in convincing their loved ones in receiving the test, as to be properly diagnosed and begin the correct treatment.

A recent article published by the Palm Beach Post, goes over how many people have a hard time accepting their condition. Family members must help their loved ones understand being able to hear well can be a matter of safety, especially when loved ones have a hard time hearing smoke alarms or other alerting systems.

Once your loved one is correctly diagnosed, they will be able to lead a better quality of life with the appropriate hearing aid. The unit has been reported to dramatically improve the ability of a patient to hear properly, eliminated many of the negative effects that can come with hearing damage.

Hearing loss spreads to vocal nerves

How can hearing loss affect the brain? Dr. Richard Mooney of Duke University Medical Center, conducted a new study which may find a correlation in hearing loss and vocal nerves. The study was done with songbirds, analyzing portions of their brain that control how the birds sing.

According to the study, within the first 24 hours after hearing was lost, the songbird’s ability to sing decreased, this is because the nerve-cell connections in charge on the birds’ singing were weakened. According to Dr. Mooney "When hearing was lost, we saw rapid changes in motor areas in that control song, the bird's equivalent of speech," He goes on to explain, "This study provided a laser-like focus on what happens in the living songbird brain, narrowed down to the particular cell type involved."

Dr. Mooney believes that similar changes can occur in the human brain after hearing damage occurs, specifically in Broca’s area, which is a part of the brain that is important in generating speech, as well as receiving inputs from the auditory system. The importance of taking care of our hearing health with the appropriate hearing aids will not only improve our quality of life but also prevent damage to our vocal nerves.