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Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
Tinnitus is extremely common with hearing loss. In fact, nearly everyone who has hearing loss will tell you they have or have had tinnitus to some degree. When hearing loss has not been diagnosed, tinnitus may be a sign of mild hearing loss; an indicator that one should probably have their hearing tested. It is also possible to have tinnitus without hearing loss. Tinnitus, those pesky head sounds that may sound like crickets, sirens or buzz saws, is annoying. While most tinnitus is tolerable, in some instances it can be disabling. LEARN MORE.... Thursday, June 18th. THIS WEEK. You have to register.
A 'FREE to attend' research symposium held by the national organization; 'The Hearing Loss Assn. of America Inc.' (HLAA); will focus on tinnitus research. You can register to attend this session, and the entire 2 day conference at http://www.experiencehlaa.org This event is being held in lieu of the annual national convention of HLAA. Presenters who would normally have been at the national convention have offered to share their prepared information in this forum. There are many other presentations of interest during the 2 day online event. This is a golden opportunity for people who seek information on hearing loss. Again, http://www.experiencehlaa.org to register.
The mission of HLAA is to OPEN THE WORLD OF COMMUNICATION TO PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS THROUGH EDUCATION, INFORMATION SHARING, PEER SUPPORT, AND ADVOCACY. HLAA, a consumer based organization ,does not endorse products, services or providers. http://www.hearingloss.org
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I too have had tinnitus for over 30 years. In the beginning the doctors knew little about it and told me to just hope that it goes away...which it
never does...I have research many articles on tinnitus and there is just no cure for it...I am hoping too that something can be done but no miracle cure is likely..
The Hearing Health Foundation is currently supporting research on tinnitus. There is hope, but it's been a long time coming. You may want to check out the information at: http://www.hearinghealthfoundation.org
Sensorineural hearing loss is often accompanied by tinnitus, and yet some people who have tinnitus do not have hearing loss. It continues to be a mystery, but we can be hopeful this may change in the future. The advancements in hearing technology have been amazing in the past couple of decades. It really a relatively new science that wasn't given much attention until the 1990s. Let's keep our fingers crossed that good things will develop.
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4 ReactionsAnd let’s hope that insurance will start to see hearing aids and hearing loss treatment therapies as necessary benefits. Does anyone know how to champion that cause? I’d be all in for that!
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1 ReactionCheck out the Hearing Loss Association of America Inc. http://www.hearingloss.org It is a consumer based organization. This is a huge issue. HLAA is our advocate. If more people would get involved in HLAA, the organization could do much more than it has done.
We have seen change in this area, but it's slow going. The 'over the counter' hearing aids (OTC) that were recently approved should be on the market in mid to late October. While this type of hearing aid will not help people with severe/profound hearing loss, it will help many who have mild/moderate hearing loss.
One huge point in advocacy is awareness of research at major research bodies that now associates untreated hearing loss with cognitive decline. That has begun to get mental healthcare providers to start promoting hearing health.
The age-old, ridiculous stigmas about hearing loss have created barriers to treatment for millions of people. That has also kept people with hearing loss from becoming their own advocates.
It's the hard of hearing population that has to get on this. The culturally Deaf population chooses not to use personal technology, and while they are a tiny piece of the entire population with hearing loss, they are very vocal about discounting research in technology and medicine and promoting manual communication as a norm.
According to the National Institutes of Health, there are nearly 50 million Americans who experience hearing loss. Fewer than 2 million of that number are of Deaf culture. How can we get more people actively involved in advocacy?
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3 ReactionsI like your final question. How can we get more people involved in advocacy? For me, the hardest part of hearing loss has been finding myself thrust into a position of needing to self advocate for my new needs. I’m not the type of person who was comfortable taking a lead or speaking up before hearing loss, so this is a complete 180 for me. Thankfully, I became aware of this during my participation in aural rehab. Mind you, I had to fight for aural rehab after my CI surgery because it wasn’t the standard. I think part of the problem is we don’t even know what we need or what to ask for in the beginning stages. Slowly I’m beginning to learn what I need. I’m paying better attention to my body as I learn to befriend my hearing loss, integrating it into my new normal. And hopefully, in time, I’ll learn to better advocate. But honestly, I think the journey is slow. It can be overwhelming, especially after sudden hearing loss. Having moved through the grief part, I’m now in a better position to begin the task of advocacy. Thanks for the good information. Best to you.
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4 Reactions@lsammartino Before my husband retired and we were on his company's insurance they covered $1000 a year towards hearing aids. Twice when I got new hearing aids I got one the last week in December and the second one in January. It still didn't cover the whole cost but it sure was helpful. It's too bad more companies and Medicare do not cover HAs.
JK
Hearing loss is so complicated and so diverse. It does take energy and commitment to get proper testing and diagnosis and then acquire workable hearing aids or surgery for CIs, getting adjusted to the new way of hearing. Thankfully there are additional assistive devices can improve hearing yet finding and trying them out is another major achievement. The technology can be challenging not to mention expensive. At this point audiologist practices are not really providing the counseling to bridge these gaps, but volunteers at HLAA can really help.
Advocacy is a huge issue that all of us with hearing loss need to take on because of its invisibility for most of us. Its not easy but it is gratifying to be able to speak out, ask for help and perhaps change ideas about hearing loss in the every day aspects of our lives like the library, the doctor's office, the supermarket, at social dinners and so on. People do want to help but first must to understand the problem. Advocacy can be an individual mission as well as shared as part of a group like HLAA. Given our huge numbers we can achieve greater understanding in the general public, and accommodation of hearing loss in public spaces. It is a big challenge to speed up the impact of advocacy but we can do it!
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6 ReactionsYou are absolutely right on with everything you say here. There is so little knowledge about assistive listening technology, and it's really sad that the people who sell hearing aids don't take time to explain it and DEMONATRATE it. We spend thousands of dollars to get hearing help. WE WANT TO HEAR everything we can possibly hear. Assistive tech can go a long way in enhancing our hearing aids and cochlear processors.
HLAA chapters need to be loudly vocal about this. There should be assistive technology demo centers out there. A place where we can go to try out products before we purchase them. Some definitely work better than others. But when we don't advocate for ourselves no one pays much attention. Yes, we can do it!
We have been successful in this area in Wisconsin. There are a couple demo centers in the state. We have succeeded in getting some of the Independent Living Centers to loan assistive devices. The tough part is that they need updating fairly regularly. The tech gets old.
The one that is very old but is not outdated is the hearing loop. It can be used in so many ways. Again, it's a matter of being educated by someone whom you trust before you buy into it.
Do you have a demo center in your area?
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3 ReactionsNo idea if we have a demo center in Pittsburgh but it sure sounds like a good idea. I’ve worked with quite a few audiologists the past few years. None have ever mentioned this so I doubt it. Also, I became SSD during lockdown in the pandemic so as far as connecting with help in community, that was a bust unfortunately. Our HLAA chapter has only begun to meetup recently again and only using zoom. I just signed up for my first one this coming Thursday eve. Looking forward to finding ways to build my advocacy skills. Thank you.
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1 ReactionThank you! I never heard of a ‘demo center!’. I live in RI and not aware of any but maybe Boston has one. I”m wondering how hearing-loss college students are helped, or are they not likely to apply. What an awful thought!