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In this episode, Blaise Delfino speaks with Dr. Amit Gosalia about what to expect from amplification, more commonly known as hearing aids.

The Statistics

Dr. Gosalia explains that hearing loss is known as the invisible disease. The person experiencing it can’t feel or see it. Usually, family and friends notice and let the person know.

Hearing loss is not uncommon. According to the NIH and the WHO, 15 percent of all Americans over 18, not only the elderly, suffer from some form of hearing loss. It can be caused by exposure to noise, genetics, or the environment, among other things.

He adds that every year the Veteran’s Administration publishes a report on the disabilities suffered by veterans. Each year hearing loss is either number 2 or 3. Most people would guess that post-traumatic stress disorder would be at the top of the list for veterans returning from war. However, number one is almost always tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.

Lost Wages

Each year there is a $1 billion loss in wages because of hearing loss. Dr. Gosalia explains that it is the result of misinterpretation and misinformation by people who can’t hear well. A recent market track survey demonstrated that among the thousands with hearing loss in the workplace, for every 10 decibels of hearing loss there is a reduction in salary. He explains that because a person’s brain has to go into overdrive to distinguish between the letter “t” and the letter “p,” for example, his/her cognitive energy is taken away from the ability to do other things. This is particularly difficult in meetings and when working with a team.

The Types of Hearing Loss

There are four types of hearing loss. To understand the different types, Dr. Gosalia gives a basic anatomy lesson on the ear. The outer ear, which is on the outside of the head, funnels sound into the ear canal. At the end of the ear canal is the ear drum. Connected to that are three small bones commonly known as the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. Those bones are connected to the cochlea, which looks like a snail shell. Inside the cochlear are millions of hair cells that pick up the sound and send it to the auditory nerve. It is then sent to the brain for interpretation.

The most common type of hearing loss is sensorineural. This is when a significant number of hair cells in the cochlea die off. They cannot be regenerated; however, a hearing aid provides extra energy to stimulate the remaining hair cells. This is considered hearing loss in the middle ear.

The second type of hearing loss is call conductive. This happens when the ear canal is clogged with debris and wax, or when there is a hole in the ear drum, and it cannot vibrate correctly.

Often children suffer from fluid in the middle ear. This is treated by inserting tubes into the child’s eustachiantube.

The third type of hearing loss is called mixed. This is a combination of conductive and neurosensory loss.

The last type and least common is known as central hearing loss, which takes place in the brain.

Fear of Hearing Aids

Dr. Gosalia says people experiencing hearing loss wait an average of seven years to get help. They’re afraid of the cost, or fear that they’ll hear too much background noise. Others have heard stories of people who have had, say, five hearing aids in six years and none of

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