Social Withdrawal
Social withdrawal due to difficulties communicating with others.
Emotional Problems
Emotional problems caused by reduced self-esteem and confidence.
Fewer Opportunities
Fewer educational and job opportunities due to impaired communication.
- Do people seem to mumble or not speak clearly?
- Do you frequently have to ask people to repeat themselves?
- Have you ever missed the door knocking or phone ringing?
- Do you have trouble with conversations in crowded/noisy places?
- Do people comment that the TV volume is too loud?
- Do you have trouble hearing women and children?
Hearing is a complex and extremely sensitive sense. The following video provides a visual explanation of how we hear.
Hearing loss is categorised depending on which part of the hearing system is affected.
There are two types of hearing loss:
‘Conductive’ hearing loss is caused by obstructions or malfunctions in the outer or middle ear. It can be caused by middle ear infections and malfunctions, damaged ear drum and impacted ear wax.
‘Sensorineural’ hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear. It can be caused by exposure to loud noise, diseases such as meningitis and the aging process.
Sensori-neural hearing loss is the most common age-related type of hearing loss. The following video provides a good over view of sensori-neural hearing loss.