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My son has been wearing hearing aids since the age of 4, but COVID-19 changed the discussion around hearing loss, impairment, and communication, forever. It’s not just that COVID has been linked with complications like hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears), but masks, distance, and digital networking has made hearing and communication increasingly difficult.
Hearing loss is probably more common than you might think…so, what does it mean to be hearing impaired in 2022, and why is it more important than ever to be aware of hearing loss and impairment?
How Common Is Hearing Loss?
Some 27 million Americans report experiencing difficulty with hearing. It could be COVID-19 or it could be diabetes, aging, genetics, trauma, infection, and/or noise, like the Oscar-winning Sound of Metal.
Watched Sound of Metal last night. Incredible movie, and deserving of the Best Sound Oscar. Dealing with post-inner-ear-surgery hearing loss for the last 25 years on top of tinnitus puts things into perspective and gave me a strong appreciation for the film.
— Kins (@Kinsbane) April 26, 2021
In my son’s case, his hearing loss was caused by chemo treatment for stage-4 cancer, starting when he was 18 months old. The docs had warned from the start that hearing loss was possible, even likely. So, when he was watching Winnie the Pooh at an alarmingly high volume, the doctor got a knowing look on his face.
Whether you have personal experience with hearing loss or you’re on the fringes looking on, it affects us all, more than you might think. You may not notice when your co-workers wear hearing aids or when you meet a kid at the check-out stand with untreated hearing loss. The signs are so subtle that they may be almost invisible.
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The Stigma Surrounding Hearing Loss
There’s still a huge stigma associated with hearing loss and wearing hearing aids. And, it doesn’t have to be just teasing or the bully on the playground tearing apart the hearing aids. We don’t want to admit that we can’t understand what’s being said or that we can’t hear. To avoid the stigma, hearing loss is frequently ignored and left undiagnosed.
‘One in four people will face hearing loss by 2050: WHO’ (4 minute read). More than 900 million people will have a permanent hearing impairment by 2050. The stigma associated with it only makes things worse. #IcommunicationP #SpeakUp4CommRights https://t.co/i3z1r57Yj4 pic.twitter.com/D1f7cm7UNI
— ICP (@IcommunicationP) April 26, 2021
We know that some 28 million Americans could benefit from hearing aids, but few of those individuals (30% of the 70+ age range and 16% of those who are 20+) have ever used them. But, even when it is diagnosed and the audiologist recommends hearing aids, most people with hearing loss refuse to wear hearing aids because of issues with cost, fit, poor experiences, disbelief that it’s an issue, ear pain, efficacy, or because of the stigma. Amazingly, a lot of people with hearing issues are over 65 — with hearing loss due to aging — and Medicare, who insures almost all Americans over 65, does NOT cover hearing aids. Strange, right?
So proud of my little guy. He received his new “super ears” today. He has come a long way since his hearing loss diagnosis. I love that he is always proud of his hearing aids and is never shy when asked about them. Shout out to MUSC Audiology for always being there for us. pic.twitter.com/VZ3YzZocvX
— Chance Miller (@cmiller05) April 29, 2021
Before my son was diagnosed, I’d associated hearing loss with my grandfather and his inability to hear anything we said. Grandpa George would turn down his hearing aids to achieve that state of absolute bliss while he read Thoreau and sat in his chair, overlooking Lake Superior. It’s a romanticized vision of hearing impairment, one that doesn’t address the issues of accommodation and awareness that should have already been a part of our discussions.
Technology That Can Help With Hearing Loss
Still mulling why it’s so difficult to find out what help there is for people with #hearingloss, in terms of every day tech etc. I was glad to learn some new things in a webinar recently, which I’ve shared here: https://t.co/uN974nMYsP #deaf
— Sarah Chapman (@SarahChapman30) April 29, 2021
There are a myriad of cell phone apps that are designed to better support your hearing health. Here are some options for amplification.
– AmiHear – Hearing Amplifier, Recorder (Android: free + in-app purchases)
– Jacoti ListenApp (iPhone: free)
– Ear Scout: Super Hearing (Android: free with ads)
– Petralex Hearing Aid (iPhone: free)
– Sound Amplifier (Android: free)
– Chatable (iPhone: free)
– Volume Booster – Audio Buff: Equalizer+ (Android: free with ads)
And, here are some applications that allow you to control your hearing aids.
ReSound
– ReSound Smart (iPhone: free)
– ReSound Control (iPhone: free, Android: free)
Starkey
– TruLink (iPhone: free)
– T2 Remote (iPhone: free)
Phonak
– RemoteControl (Android: free)
Speech-To-Text Technology
The first week of physical therapy has gone well, and to help me with typing, my university is installing Dragon Professional speech-to-text software on my devices, paid for by my department. Maybe I’ll be dictating these posts soon.
— Andy Duncan (@BELUTHAHATCHIE) April 30, 2021
Technology really is a key component to better understanding. A huge part of that is understanding how hearing loss touches every part of our lives. While sign language interpretation is becoming more common, the stats on how many people use American Sign Language (ASL) range widely from 100k to 15 million.
As hearing loss and communication has become more complicated, there are now a range of speech-to-text solutions, which are designed to recognize and convert speech with high accuracy.
– Dragon
– Otter
– Verbit
Captioning Is Crucial
Another fun debut update – I am hoping that, by the time I have set the official date, I will also have closed captions up and running (and looking nice!) on my channel.
As a hearing impaired mermaid, having captions is obviously super important to me!
— Queen Nyrine 🐚🧜♀️ ENVtuber – DEBUT MAY 2021 (@QueenNyrine) May 2, 2021
Captioning has been available for TV since 1980, and streaming platforms have naturally followed that example. It’s now become a more standard feature in digital communication for Google Meet, Zoom, and other video conferencing platforms. It’s something that we probably take for granted, with integrative services for social media now available. Some apps, like Instagram, are taking the initiative to offer a captioning feature to their users as well.
Instagram got a closed captions option for when you post videos on your story, and it’s my new favorite thing
— TyasiaB.🦋 (@TyasiaB1) May 1, 2021
Long Story Short: Make The World More Accessible
Here’s the thing, I know that you’ll probably hear lots about how you can avoid those nasty hearing loss issues by refraining from listening to loud music and taking better care of yourself. That’s all important information, and it’s what we need to hear.
But when I think about hearing loss, I think of my son. I also think of the young man behind the counter at Home Depot who asked me over and over again what I needed. He finally admitted he was deaf in one ear.
My mental health is honestly a rollercoaster of mainly dips. But #DeafAwarenessWeek next week is super exciting, and keeps me motivated to carry on.
Regardless of whether we all agree with each other or not, we all work towards the same goal … raising awareness! 💕
— Louise Deaf Awareness 🦻🏼 (@LouiseDeafAware) April 30, 2021
I think of all the situations that I see and hear about every day that involve hearing and the many struggles that we all have in communicating with each other. I also think we must do better.
What is your experience with hearing and hearing loss? What about captioning? Let us know in the comments below!
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