2. Introduction
• Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) is the slow loss of hearing in
both ears.
• It’s a common problem linked to aging.
• About 30 out of 100 adults older than age 65 have hearing loss.
3. Causes
• Long-term exposure to loud noise
• Loss of hair cells (sensory receptors in the inner ear)
• Inherited factors
• Aging
• Some health conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes
• Side effects of some medicines, such as aspirin, chemotherapy medicines, and
certain antibiotics
• White Race
• Lower income level
• Infections
• Smoking
4. Symptoms
• Other people’s speech sounds mumbled or slurred
• Having trouble hearing high-pitched sounds
• Having trouble understanding conversations, often when there is
background noise
• Men's voices are easier to hear than women's
• Some sounds seem very loud and annoying
• Tinnitus in one or both ears
5. Diagnosis
• Otoscope
to visalize external ear canal for blockage of the ear canal from foreign objects or impacted
earwax, and inflammation or infection.
Perforated tympanic membrane.
• Pure tone audiometry - to identify the degree of hearing loss
• Audiogram
• Tympanometry - an air-pressure/sound wave instrument inserted into the ear canal
to assess tympanic membrane and middle ear function
- to check for vascular anomalies, tumors, and structural problems like
enlarged mastoids
6. Treatment
• Hearing aids helps to improve hearing of many elderly. It can now be
tuned to specific frequency ranges of hearing loss
• Assistive devices, such as telephone amplifiers or technology that
changes spoken words to text
• Speech reading
7. Cochlear implant
- used in cases of severe or profound hearing loss.
- This is an electronic device that replaces the cochlea of the inner ear.
- Electrodes are typically inserted through the round window of the cochlea
- It provides a different kind of sound spectrum than natural hearing, but may enable the recipient to
recognize speech and environmental sounds
8. Middle ear implant
These are surgically implanted hearing aids inserted onto the middle ear.
These aids work by directly vibrating the ossicles, and are cosmetically
favorable due to their hidden nature
9. Nursing Considerations
• Involve family and friends in providing care
• Watching expressions and facial movements can help patient to
understand the conversation better.
• Speak slowly to patient
• Avoid covering mouth while talking
• Background noise makes hearing more difficult.
10. Complications
• Cause problems with receiving and understanding important
information, such as financial, health, and legal information.
• Limit the person’s interaction with family, friends, and agencies. This
can result in loneliness, isolation, and depression.
• Cause the person to avoid important meetings, such as medical
follow-ups, because of embarrassment over the hearing problem.
• Pose a safety risk if the hearing loss is severe enough.
11. Aural Rehabilitation
Aural rehabilitation is the process of identifying and diagnosing a hearing loss,
providing different types of therapies to clients who are hard of hearing, and
implementing different amplification devices to aid the client’s hearing abilities
Components
Hearing-aid fitting and orientation
Counseling
Auditory-visual training
Conversational strategies
Environmental training
12. Prevention
It's not a reversible condition so prevention is important
• Keep the volume of ear buds and head sets at a safe level
• Stay away from loud noises and reduce noise exposure
• Quit smoking
• Treat ear infections
• Wear ear plugs or special fluid-filled ear muffs (to prevent more damage to
hearing)
• Staying away from constant or continuous exposure to loud noises can help
protect your hearing and prevent gradual hearing loss
