Do you have a family member or friend that needs a hearing aid, or at a minimum a hearing test, but won’t go along with your suggestions? It is very common for people to avoid seeking assistance for hearing loss, but chatting with them about the causes, effects and prevalence of hearing problems can help. These basic facts and stats may help you persuade a loved one that it is time to schedule a hearing test:
- Women are less likely to have hearing problems than men.
- Roughly 13% of the population over age 65 will experience tinnitus – ringing in the ears.
- Over the past 3 decades, the number of Americans with hearing loss has approximately doubled.
- Approximately 36 million individuals the US have some type of hearing loss, which is almost one out of every 5 people.
- One million Americans have tinnitus that is so severe it gets in the way of daily life.
- Of the people who could really benefit from using a hearing aid, just one out of 5 people wears one.
- Noise is a major contributing factor to hearing loss. Noise has already resulted in permanent hearing loss for 10 million. Another 30 million are exposed to harmful noise levels on a daily basis.
- High frequency hearing loss caused by recurring loud noise exposure affects about 26 million people in the United States (ages 20-69). This consists of recurring noise exposure from both work and recreational sources.
- Close to 23,000 people in the United States have cochlear implants – 43% of the them children.
- Studies have indicated that those with hearing loss experience it as mild in 65% of cases, moderate in 30% of cases and severe in 5% of cases.
- Those with hearing loss delay an average of approximately 10 years before doing anything about it. Does this describe you or someone you love?