I'm currious. Does anyone know?
2006-10-15 16:44:44 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Other - General Health Care
Hearing loss due to aging is called presbycusis. It is a degeneration of the inner ear hair cells. Just like the rest of the body the receptor hair cells tend to degenerate and hearing loss is the result. Some people have other factors in addition to aging that will add to their hearing problems, for example, hereditary factors, noise exposure from their past, medical conditions and hearing loss caused from ototoxic substances. Just because some one is getting older it doesn't mean that they will have hearing loss, and just because someone is 40 years old it doesn't mean that they will have normal hearing. There are many factors to cause hearing loss, regardless of age.
Additionally, as we age our ability to process speech and auditory stimuli may decrease, regardless of our hearing acuity. This means that understanding may be affected and it is important to slow the rate of speech down for these individuals so that they can process the speech more efficiently than with "rapid speech". Always allow the person to see your face, always get the person's attention prior to initiating conversation and slow and articulate speech will require fewer repetitions of your content.
Hope that helps answer your questions.
2006-10-18 04:16:58 · answer #1 · answered by melloyellolab2000 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many of them have worked in industries where the noise levels were too high, and they had no hearing protection, when they were younger, so now they have hearing problems. Now there are laws about the workplace, buy young people may still have hearing problems when they are older from listening to loud music through head phones or just with sterio turned up or at concerts. This is all in addition to the fact that when you get old some things don't work as well.
2006-10-15 16:49:55 · answer #2 · answered by victorschool1 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Being exposed to loud noises over a period of time damages the relatively fragile ear drum, causing it to be less responsive to sound. Loud noises:
music (frequent concerts/earplugs)
firearms
construction equipment
vehicle/aircraft engines
industrial machinery
whiny wife/girlfriend
It also happens over time as the body in general degenerates. It can also happen with bad ear infections. I have tinnitus after being in the military and being around firearms a lot of the time. You learn to deal with it.
I've worked with several older people who have hearing aids and hearing loss has it up side. If the wife is nagging you can just turn the hearing aid down so you don't hear her. Brilliant!
2006-10-15 16:53:00 · answer #3 · answered by Mike R 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Only some people do oh and I'm going to give you some advice. You know all that loud Ipod music you probably listen too? Most likely you will become deaf or will need a hearing aid as you get older. The things we do such as break bones, how close we sit to the t.v or computer, listening to very loud music, not eating vegetables or fruit and not drinking enough water or milk all effect us negatively when we are older.
2006-10-15 16:48:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Some older people lose their hearing as they age due to a disease or infection. Some loose it due to having been exposed to a noisy work environment. Now more and more people are losing their hearing due to listening to very loud music. And it is happening to people at a much younger age. And the older you live, the more parts just wear out.
2006-10-15 16:52:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
In some people they lose their hearing as they get older, some of them it's caused by working in a noisy work environment. I am a truck driver, and I don't hear as well from my left ear as I used to, and my dad is the same way, and he was a truck driver also.
It depends on the work environment and sometimes it just happens with age.
2006-10-15 16:47:24 · answer #6 · answered by Bryan M 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because the ears have small hairs that react to sound, as well as liquid and the ear drum. All of these become less reactive over time and eventually hearing diminishes. One sure way to lose hearing quickly is listen to loud music (especially in headphones and earbuds) - anytime you listen to something that makes your ears ring has caused damage. The babyboomers and younger are sadly going to lose their hearing earlier than generations before them because of this.
2006-10-15 16:50:45 · answer #7 · answered by dreamcatweaver 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
well I'm 67 and I think its 1 of 2 things
1 like the rest of the body parts wear out and need help thus the reason sometimes for heaing aid -2 there are also anumber of diseases that affect the inner ear & nervous system of the ear.
kinda like a car something breaks and you get if fixed
2006-10-15 16:53:05 · answer #8 · answered by shorty124 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
With me it is just wear and tear of working around loud noises amd guns. They say it is partly because of loss of circulation to the delicate inner ear parts. Usually the high pitch sounds go because the loud noises edestroy the cillia in the ear. Part of it is natures way to keep from hearing your spouse tell you how stupid you are.
Keeping fit and exercise and watching weight helps prolong the process. The reason old peoples vision is so they won't notice their spouse getting rinkles.
2006-10-15 16:52:51 · answer #9 · answered by jekin 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The structures that make you hear can and do eventually wear out. Just like any other complex machine, our bodies are not meant to last forever. So as we get older they start to break down.
2006-10-15 16:50:41 · answer #10 · answered by wild&free 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋