Northern Manor Center Discusses Common Age-Related Hearing Loss

There are a number of causes and conditions that can result in hearing loss, but most elderly patients at the Northern Manor Multicare Center who experience hearing loss suffer from the type that progresses with age. This type of hearing loss is natural to some degree, and it is not reversible. There are, however, measures that we can take as young people to delay the onset of this type of hearing loss.

Age-related hearing loss most commonly occurs as a result of damage to or natural aging of the hair cells in the cochlea. When these hair cells are functioning normally, they register and relay subtle air pressure changes and air movement, translating that information into sound signals our brains can process. These little cells work hard for us our entire lives, and they begin to give out as we age. Loud noise, especially via prolonged exposure, is the primary contributor to artificially shortening the natural lifespan of these cells.

As the cells begin to fail, but before they give out completely, they gradually become less responsive. It is for this reason that increasing volume is an effective strategy for counteracting their decreased performance. As such, many in-ear hearing aids used for age-related hearing loss are simply small sound amplifiers.

The other major group of hearing loss causes result from a failure of the neurological signal to travel properly from the ear to the brain and/or to be correctly processed there. This neurological type of hearing loss is not as commonly specifically related to age and wear, and it is generally not easily resolved with sound volume amplification.

To learn more about Northern Manor Multicare Center and all of the services they offer, visit http://www.northernmanor.com/