Ways Seniors Can Protect Their Hearing

Age-related hearing loss, also known as presbycusis, can be influenced by a variety of things “including heredity, medical disease and environmental factors.”

Because seniors are at a higher risk of hearing loss than the younger population, it’s important to know what steps they can take to protect their hearing health.

Limit Your Exposure To Harmful Sounds

Exposure to loud noise is one of the leading causes of hearing loss. Any sound over 85 decibels (dB) has the potential to affect your hearing. The louder the noise, the more likely it is that damage will occur. As you age, it becomes more likely that the cumulative effects of being around loud noise, either through working in a loud environment or engaging in hobbies like hunting or motorcycle riding, will lead to permanent hearing loss.

Thankfully, using proper hearing protection like earplugs, earmuffs or custom earmolds allows you to still do what you need and want while keeping your ears safe.

Keep the Volume Down at Home

Exposure to harmful volumes can happen inside your own home just easily as outside. Try to make sure you prioritize your hearing by keeping the volume at a reasonable level when listening to music or watching TV and aim to purchase appliances for your home or yard that have low noise ratings.

Check Your Medicine Cabinet

Certain medications are ototoxic. This means they can damage the ears, leading to problems like tinnitus, balance issues and hearing loss. Sometimes, in the case of taking a large dose of aspirin, these effects can be temporary. However, other medications, both over-the-counter and prescription, may be more likely to cause permanent problems. Ask your doctor if any medications you take put your hearing at risk.

Eat Healthy and Stay Active

Certain chronic conditions, like heart disease and diabetes, have been linked to an increased risk of hearing loss. Both of these conditions are also more likely to affect seniors. You can’t control any genetic factors that may make you more predisposed to these conditions. However, you can try to minimize your risk by eating healthy, having regular check-ups and getting regular exercise by joining a gym or taking walks at The Naples Preserve.

Make an Appointment for a Hearing Test

If you’ve noticed a ringing in your ears or that you’re having a hard time following conversations at home or work, make an appointment for a hearing test. The sooner you get tested, and an audiologist can recommend treatment options like hearing aids, the more likely it is that future hearing damage can be minimized or prevented.

For more information or to schedule an appointment for an evaluation, call Center For Hearing today.

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The Future of Hearing Devices: Deep Neural Networks & Artificial Intelligence

February 14, 2025

Hearing technology has come a long way over the years; however, one aspect of hearing loss that many hearing aids have difficulty addressing is trouble understanding speech in noise. Fortunately, some of today’s state-of-the-art devices can solve this problem utilizing deep neural networks (DNN) and artificial intelligence (AI). Sensorineural hearing loss causes difficulty understanding speech in background noise. This type of hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells of the inner ear that convert soundwaves into electrical energy, which are then interpreted by the brain. This causes the quality and quantity of the signal sent from the ears to the brain to diminish over time, resulting in the brain expending more energy and effort to make sense of it. DNNs may help improve the transmission of the neural code, making hearing easier on the brain. [1] It’s important to know what DNNs are to understand how they can help. DNNs are a subset of AI. They rapidly analyze large data sets so that they can teach hearing aids and other technological devices how to respond to data like a human would, all while verifying accuracy and making corrections. DNNs are beneficial in hearing technology because they can help with speech enhancement. DNNs can be applied as “time-frequency masks,” meaning select sounds—like speech—are allowed while other sounds are suppressed. DNNs can also identify and separate multiple voices, selecting a primary voice to emphasize and secondary voices to suppress. This feature can help hearing device wearers in a variety of settings. For example, at a restaurant or party, the hearing device can emphasize a conversation partner, allow other nearby voices at a reduced volume and suppress background noises such as dishes clinking. Schedule an appointment to talk to Center for Hearing about our vast state-of-the-art hearing solutions today— (239) 434-0086. [1] Published by Douglas L. Beck. (2021, January 15). Deep neural networks in hearing devices. Retrieved April 2, 2021 from https://www.hearingreview.com/hearing-products/hearing-aids/deep-neural-networks

Startup Aims to Develop the First Gene Therapy for Hearing Loss

February 14, 2025

A Boston biotech startup is attempting to develop the first gene therapy treatment for hearing loss. If successful, it promises to offer new hope to the estimated 300,000 Americans who suffer from gene-based hearing loss—a number that includes more than 4,000 newborns. The timing may not be ideal, but biotech companies have been largely immune from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing recession. Developing new drugs takes years, so these companies are better able to weather storms. And the efforts of biotechnology companies that are focusing on tools to prevent and treat potentially fatal health threats has resulted in soaring stock values for many of these companies, even in the face of the current crisis. Akouos, the Boston startup, was founded in 2016. Its goal is to develop the first gene therapy to treat hearing loss and is targeting a specific form of deafness that results from mutations in a single gene. They are experimenting with adeno-associated viruses, using them as vectors to deliver DNA that encodes a functioning gene in certain target cells. Around 7,000 people are afflicted with this type of genetic hearing loss. Adeno-associated viruses are considered viable candidates because they don’t usually cause disease and can be customized to treat a variety of genetic conditions. The company has partnered with two influential organizations: Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Lonza, a Swiss manufacturing company that holds contracts with various pharmaceutical makers. Manny Simons, Akouos’ co-founder and chief executive, holds a degree in neuroscience from Harvard College, a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. His desire to help those with hearing loss stems from his passion for playing the piano. “It’s easy to take hearing for granted,” said in a Boston Globe interview. “Maybe because music has been important to me, it’s something that I take a little less for granted.” [1] [1] Saltzman, J. (2020, June 22). Akouos, a startup developing a gene therapy for hearing loss, raises IPO value to $125 million - The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/06/22/business/ipo-upped-akouos-boston-startup-working-gene-therapy-hearing-loss/