Will your ears "retire"? Don't worry, hearing aids can help you say goodbye to hearing problems!

78-year-old Grandma Li has been saying recently that "people are useless when they get old". Her children have noticed that she turns the TV volume up to 80%, always says "Huh? What did you say?", and is always forgetful when doing things. Her memory is not as good as before. In fact, this is not simply "old age", but presbycusis is eating away her sense of security.

According to statistics, the prevalence of hearing impairment among people over 60 in China is as high as 65%, but only 5% of the elderly choose scientific intervention. Today, Peng Bo, director of the Department of Otolaryngology at the Hunan Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine), will share with you some tips on hearing protection.

1. Not being able to hear clearly does not mean being old and confused. What impacts will hearing loss bring?

The cause of presbycusis is very complex, involving the interaction of multiple factors, such as genetics, aging, noise exposure, ototoxic drugs, oxidative stress, inflammation, etc. It is not as simple as "the sound becomes smaller". So what are the risk factors for hearing loss?

1. Accelerated brain aging

A study from Johns Hopkins University found that untreated hearing loss increases the risk of dementia by 2-5 times.

2. Emotional Isolation Crisis

Because they cannot hear their family members clearly, about 62% of the elderly gradually become self-isolating, and the risk of depression increases sharply.

3. Safety risks doubled

The incidence of falls increases threefold when car horns and smoke alarms cannot be heard.

4. Overall health declines

Long-term communication stress leads to a significant increase in the incidence of hypertension and heart disease.

2. How to treat hearing loss?

When hearing loss is found, scientific intervention and treatment should be carried out as soon as possible. Studies have found that the treatment time window for deafness is closely related to prognosis. The earlier the treatment, the better the effect. The combination of Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of deafness has obvious advantages over single treatment methods.

In terms of treatment, Western medicine mainly focuses on improving ear circulation, and hyperbaric oxygen can be used in conjunction with drug treatment.

Traditional Chinese medicine can conduct comprehensive syndrome differentiation and treatment based on the patient's tongue and pulse, and add or subtract medicine according to the symptoms. At the same time, it can also provide traditional Chinese medicine treatments such as acupuncture, scraping, and auricular acupoint pressing. For those who do not respond well to drug treatment, they can wear hearing aids and, if necessary, cochlear implants.

3. Avoid the four cognitive "minefields" in hearing aids, and scientific intervention should be carried out as early as possible

Myth 1: If you can still hear speech, you don’t need hearing aids. Wait until you are completely deaf before getting one.

Experts: When hearing loss becomes severe, the brain has lost the ability to analyze and process sound, and the effectiveness of wearing hearing aids is greatly reduced.

Myth 2: Wearing only one ear for both deaf ears

Experts: Wearing it on one ear can cause loss of sense of direction and accelerate the decline of the healthy ear.

Myth 3: You can just buy something for a few hundred dollars online

Expert: Non-professional fitting may damage residual hearing. It is recommended to conduct a comprehensive assessment of hearing level at a formal hearing aid fitting place before further adjustment.

Myth 4: “Once you put it on, you can’t take it off and you’ll become dependent on it.”

Experts: Hearing aids can help the brain rebuild auditory memory. The feeling of "inability to hear" after stopping using them just shows that serious damage has already occurred.

4. Should you wear a hearing aid? Look at these 3 “signal lights” first

1. Red light alarm (must be equipped)

When talking face to face, the other party needs to repeat themselves more than 3 times; when answering the phone, the other party's voice is always unclear; it is completely impossible to communicate in noisy environments (such as the vegetable market).

2. Yellow light warning (recommended)

Family members often complain that the TV volume is too loud; they cannot hear high-pitched sounds such as birds singing and clocks ticking; they have tinnitus that continues to worsen.

3. Green light observation (not required for the time being)

Only occasionally can't hear faint sounds (such as whispers); hearing test shows loss ≤ 25 decibels; daily communication is barrier-free.

Experts advise

Dr. Peng Bo, chief physician of the Department of Otolaryngology, reminds that if the elderly show the following signs, please go to the Otolaryngology department immediately:

1. Always ask to repeat what you say;

2. Feel that others are speaking unclearly;

3. Difficulty communicating in noisy environments;

4. Unconsciously increase the volume of the TV.

March 3, 2025 is the 26th National Ear Care Day and World Hearing Day. It aims to enhance the hearing health awareness of the whole society, promote the popularization of hearing health knowledge, and promote the prevention and rehabilitation of hearing disabilities. I hope all patients can achieve "healthy hearing and barrier-free communication".

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: She Wenya, Department of Otolaryngology, Hunan Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine)

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(Edited by Wx)