42 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
senior living
Is your hearing loss a barrier to a happy life?
Sheliadawn Fitch would wonder if
it really was possible for her to hear
again. But she would shove aside those
thoughts, overcome by fear and uncertainty,
telling herself she was doing okay.
Not that you could blame her. Th e
vivacious Texan had been through a lot,
having lost much of her ability to hear
speech when she was around 40 years
old. Following an air bag injury, she suffered
from an ear infection that led to her
profound hearing loss. Fitch’s hearing
aids didn’t go far enough to restore quality
hearing, so they were useless.
She suspected she was a good candidate
for cochlear implants, but the idea of
going through with the procedure struck
her with fear.
“I really thought that since I was an
excellent lip reader that I could get by just
fi ne,” says Fitch, who is now 54.
Eventually, things got worse. She faced
missing out on fully participating in her
daughter’s wedding and she was stricken
when she realized people were actually
avoiding her.
“Not only did that hurt my feelings,
I was always the type who was overly
involved in school, community and
church events,” Fitch says. “Th ings just
weren’t working out for me or my lifestyle.”
Th e silent affl iction
Fitch is far from alone. Hearing loss is
one of those silent affl ictions that impacts
millions. In addition, it tends to cut people
off from the world so the general population
may not realize just how widespread
it is.
According to the National Institute
on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders (NIDCD), 36 million
Americans have hearing loss, aff ecting 17
percent of our adult population. When
you look at the older adult population,
the rate of hearing loss is even more startling.
It aff ects one third of Americans
between the ages of 65 and 74, and nearly
half of those over the age of 75, the
NIDCD further states.
What’s more, a high percentage of
people with hearing loss, like Fitch, fi nd
ways to cope with it rather than pursue
treatments. Only 30 percent of adults
ages 70 and older who can benefi t from
hearing aids try them, according to the
NIDCD. Others with more severe hearing
loss, like Fitch, may be reluctant to
pursue other solutions such as cochlear
implants.
Th is exile from the world can be lonely
as well as debilitating. In several studies
cited by the NIDCD, researchers have
found the isolation imposed by hearing
loss is one underlying cause of depression
and decreased cognitive function found
in adults who become prisoners in their
muted world.
Is it time to look for a diff erent solution?
If you’ve tried hearing aids but wondered
if you were a candidate for cochlear
implants, here are three signs that
confi rm you may be suff ering from the
eff ects of severe or profound hearing loss.
1. You avoid your hearing aids.
Fitch was outfi tted with hearing aids.
At fi rst she was overjoyed she could hear
sounds again, but it eventually dawned
on her that something critical was missing
from the quality of those sounds.
“I was hearing, but not really understanding,”
says Fitch. “Everything was
louder. I needed clarity, not just volume.”
In fact, Fitch got headaches from
straining to sift through the din of background
noise to understand what people
were saying to her. Eventually, she had to
abandon them and rely on her lip-reading
skills.
2. Family dynamics are
becoming strained.
With more severe hearing loss that’s
not helped by hearing aids, you may
notice changes in how your friends and
family interact. Family members may frequently
comment on the too-loud television
or radio, or note the noise is interfering
with their sleep. Perhaps they’re
showing more frustration and impatience
because they’re frequently misunderstood
or asked to repeat themselves.
3. You dread rather than look
forward to special occasions.
When there’s ongoing hearing loss,
family milestones and special occasions
may come with a special sense of dread
and sadness, driving painful choices. Do
you suff er through an unpleasant event
or do you stay home and disappoint
your family? Perhaps a family member
who serves as your “human hearing aid”
can’t attend and you can’t face the idea of
attending alone without your “ears.”
Finding courage to take the next step
Aft er seven-and-a-half years of living
with hearing loss, it was the upcoming
wedding of her daughter and the arrival
of her future grandchildren that brought
Fitch to the tipping point. She realized
she “might miss all of it.” Th at startling
idea fi nally gave her enough courage to
ask a doctor for help.
One option for Fitch and others who
suff er from profound hearing loss is a
Cochlear Nucleus Implant System (www.
cochlear.com). While hearing aids only
amplify sounds, cochlear implants help
make them louder and clearer. Improving
the clarity of hearing may help someone
better understand speech in both quiet
and noisy situations. Th ere are two primary
components of the Cochlear Nucleus
System: the implant that is surgically placed
underneath the skin and the external sound
processor. To receive the implant, Fitch
needed a CAT scan and clearance from her
doctor. Several weeks aft er the surgery, her
new Cochlear system was activated.
“And I heard and understood from that
day on,” she says.
“I didn’t miss those wedding vows, or
the dance music aft erwards, and most
importantly, I heard my grandbabies cry
their fi rst cries.”
Views expressed herein are those of the
individual. Consult your hearing health
provider to determine if you are a candidate
for cochlear implant technology.
Outcomes and results may vary.
Courtesy BPT