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Wayne Walker, 65, of Freeport wears hearing aids. He has done so for the past 15 years. Being able to be a part of the hearing world began to fail for him over his lifetime. He put off hearing tests until family and friends stepped in with a suggestion he seek help. He said it was the best thing that ever happened to him – with the aid of a hearing device, he leads a fulfilling life.
Walker said he never gave much thought about his hearing as he grew. His hearing deficit was gradual over his lifetime. He said his doctors trace his hearing loss back to his youth. He said he was exposed to the normal noises. His job before he retired was office work. Today, knowing what he does about protecting his hearing, he said he worries about the youth, who use electronic musical devices. Walker knows what it is like to have the world get quieter over time. “I never gave much thought to my hearing growing up – I took it for granted,” Walker said. “I didn’t develop problems until I got older – simple sounds were lost on me. “I won’t get back what I lost, but with my hearing aid devices, life is better – I just worry about the kids today – they don’t think about their hearing future,” he added. Walker is one of 36 million Americans who experience hearing loss. While there is a strong relationship with aging and hearing loss, there are things people can do to protect their precious hearing. Statistics show hearing loss is the second most self-reported work-related illness or injury. Already, 22 million American adults ages 20 to 69 have permanently damaged their hearing from exposure to loud sounds. This concerns Dr. Frank Weldele and Dr. Sherry Gaddis Weldele of Advanced Hearing Healthcare in Freeport. Walker is one of their patients. “People need to understand what damage they do to their hearing from loud noises,”
Weldele said. “The louder the noise, the less time a person should be around that noise.” Protect the Ears Audiologists like Weldele and Gaddis Weldele said people need to think about hearing protection, just like people think about sunblock for the sun – don’t go out for the noisy summer activities without protection. Gaddis Weldele said simple ear foams, which are sponge-like devices to fit in the ears, can help reduce decibel levels from lawn mowers, motor boats and outdoor concerts. This advice is backed up by one of the largest multi-generational studies of hearing loss of 5,275 adults born between 1902 and 1962, by the University of Wisconsin School of Health and Public Health. This study showed that baby boomers, like Walker, are aging with much better hearing than their parents had at the same age. Ted Tweed, a senior audiologist with the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study, said there is a reason for this. “The older people in the study worked in noisy workplaces before federal rules that mandates hearing protection went into place,” Tweed said. “These days, when I’m on campus and see university employees mowing the lawn, they are wearing hearing protection.” Tweed says the younger generation in the study had the benefit of the federal Occupational Health and Safety law that mandates hearing protection if workers are exposed to noise higher than 90 decibels during an eight-hour shift. And while the average homeowner doesn’t have a decibel meter, Tweed offers this rule of thumb: “If it has a gasoline engine, it can damage your hearing and you should wear hearing protection.” For example, lawn mowers and shop tools create noise at or about the 90-decibel range, while snowmobiles and chainsaws create about 100 decibels and the loudest jet skis have been measured at 115 decibels. Sounds louder than 80 decibels can cause hearing loss by damaging the hair cells in the inner ear. These are the cells that signal the auditory nerve to send electrical impulses to the brain, which the brain interprets as sound. Weldele said it’s not just about the loudness, but the duration of the loudness that matters. And it isn’t only work that threatens hearing. With the summer concert season in full swing, concert goers should realize that a loud rock show can come close to 150 decibels for those in front of loud speakers. “The thing people don’t realize is noise is cumulative – from car stereos to movies to arcades to cutting grass,” said Gaddis Weldele. Weldele said there are signs for hearing loss. The feeling of stuffiness in the ears after exposure or even ringing in the ears is a sign of damage to hearing. “What I find amazing is the number of elementary children who are exposed to loud noises,” Weldele said. “We’re seeing people in our practice as early as 20 years of age with similar hearing loss to factory workers in their 60s.” Gaddis Weldele said people need to turn the sound down and wear protection.
“The best hearing protection is what people will wear,” Gaddis Weldele said. (by journalstandard.com)
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