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Hearing
26 Feb 2025
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End The Stigma: Hearing Aids Empower Users Of All Ages
End The Stigma: Hearing Aids Empower Users Of All Ages
It’s World Hearing Day and we’re here to challenge outdated perceptions.
If you or someone you love is navigating hearing loss, you’re probably well aware of the stigma that can come along with hearing impairment and hearing devices.
Individuals with hearing loss often face a lack of understanding and hearing care may be perceived as a solution reserved for “the elderly.”
This World Hearing Day, we hope to shift the narrative and reframe hearing aids as a method of empowerment for people of all ages.
Consider the benefits
Hearing aids improve the quality of life of up to 80% of people who wear them. (1)
They allow us to participate in conversation and pick up important sounds as we move through our days — minimizing social barriers and reducing the impact of hearing impairment.
And aside from the obvious, there are a few lesser-known benefits you might not be aware of.
Evidence shows that hearing aids have the power to…
- Lessen the symptoms of tinnitus (2)
- Reduce day-to-day psychological distress (3)
- Lower the risk of dementia and slow cognitive decline (4,5)
- And minimize listening fatigue or the sense of exhaustion that occurs when we’re often straining to hear (6)
Clearly, there are plenty of compelling reasons to wear hearing devices and with the prevalence of hearing loss these days, these are benefits we should all be aware of.
Hearing loss is everywhere
If you haven’t experienced hearing loss or if you don’t know many people who have, you might assume that it’s an “old people” problem. This is a huge misconception.
According to the World Health Organization…
- More than 5% of the global population has hearing loss severe enough to require treatment (7)
- And by 2025, nearly 2.5 billion people will have hearing loss of some kind (7)
Clearly, issues associated with hearing loss extend well beyond the 60-plus demographic.
Thinking beyond “old age”
Yes, hearing loss is often related to aging but there are several other causes.
Hearing loss is also caused by…
- Exposure to loud noises (8)
- Select medications (8)
- Specific diseases (8)
- And genetics (8)
To get a true sense of how common hearing loss is among young people, let’s take a look at today’s situation.
Recent reports have shown that…
- By age 12, about 20% of children have some degree of hearing loss (9)
- Up to half of young people aged 12 and 35 are at risk of noise-induced hearing loss (10)
- And the number of young people wearing hearing devices is currently on the rise (11)
Bottom line — there’s no minimum age requirement for hearing loss or hearing technology.
So, if you’re struggling with hearing loss, it might be time to explore a prescription or over-the-counter solution.
Your wellbeing first
We’ve established that hearing loss appears in people of all ages. We’ve also established that hearing aids can improve quality of life and that young people today are starting to catch on to that.
Nevertheless, only 16% of people who stand to benefit from hearing aids actually use them. (12) Ultimately, we’d love to see that change.
Today and all days, we hope that individuals with hearing loss feel empowered to put their wellbeing first and say goodbye to outdated ideas and common misconceptions.
Note: While over-the-counter hearing aids are appropriate for many adults, they may not be suitable for users under the age of (18). The best way to find your best match is to connect with an audiologist or other hearing care professional.
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Sources
(1) Tsakiropoulou, E., et al. "Hearing aids: quality of life and socio-economic aspects." Hippokratia, vol. 11, no. 4, 2007, pp. 183-186.
(2) National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). "Tinnitus." NIDCD, 2023, https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024.
(3) Bigelow, R. T., et al. "Association of Hearing Loss With Psychological Distress and Utilization of Mental Health Services Among Adults in the United States." JAMA network open, vol. 3, no. 7, 2020, e2010986, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.10986.
(4) The Lancet. "Risk factors for dementia." 2017, https://www.thelancet.com/infographics-do/dementia-risk. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024.
(5) National Institutes of Health (NIH). "Hearing aids slow cognitive decline in people at high risk." NIH, 2023, https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/hearing-aids-slow-cognitive-decline-people-high-risk#:~:text=Hearing%20aids%20reduced%20the%20rate,of%20dementia%20in%20vulnerable%20populations. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024.
(6) Holman, J. A., et al. "Hearing Aids Reduce Daily-Life Fatigue and Increase Social Activity: A Longitudinal Study." Trends in hearing, vol. 25, 2021, 23312165211052786, https://doi.org/10.1177/23312165211052786.
(7) World Health Organization (WHO). "Deafness and hearing loss." WHO, 2024, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss. Accessed 12 Feb. 2024.
(8) "Hearing Loss." Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/symptoms-causes/syc-20373072. Accessed 12 Feb. 2024.
(9) "Hearing Loss." Boston Children's Hospital, www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/hearing-loss#:~:text=Approximately%204%20in%20every%201%2C000,be%20either%20temporary%20or%20permanent. Accessed 12 Feb. 2024.
(10) World Health Organization (WHO). "New WHO-ITU Standard Aims to Prevent Hearing Loss among 1.1 Billion Young People." WHO, 12 Feb. 2019, www.who.int/news/item/12-02-2019-new-who-itu-standard-aims-to. Accessed 12 Feb. 2024.
(11) "Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Gain Traction Among Young Users." The New York Times, 6 May 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/05/06/us/otc-hearing-aids-young-users.html. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024.
(12) "Quick Statistics About Hearing." National Institute on Deafness and Hearing Disorder, 5 Mar. 2021, www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing. Accessed 12 Feb. 2024.