Hearing Loss Statistics

VA/NIDCD – Veterans Administration & National Institute for Deafness and other Communicative Disorders.

Objective
Designed to compare performance of 3 commonly used hearing aid circuits.

Design
Double-blind, 3-period, 3-treatment crossover trial conducted from May 1996 to February 1998.

The following Hearing Loss & Hearing Aid Statistics have been consolidated from a number of different resources:
Soon ages of individuals “65 & older” will be the largest segment of the population-A first in history.
The number of Americans with hearing loss over the next decade will dramatically grow. Approximately 1 in 9 or 1 in 8 will have hearing loss. This compares to today’s ratio of 1 in 10.

PCP’s (Primary Care Physicians) rarely screen for hearing loss.

• Hearing Providers are one of the only specialists that are not working hand in hand with physicians.
• Unlike other specialists that physicians regularly refer out to for additional care, there is an absence of Hearing Health Clinicians that physicians know about.
• Over 28 Million Americans suffer from hearing loss, which is over 10% of the population.
• Fewer than 20% of people with a hearing loss seek treatment, that’s only 5.5 Million.
• More than 80% of the people who could benefit from services have never been reached.

• Hearing impairment can occur at any age, but the incident rises with age. Hearing loss ranked 2nd to Arthritis in affecting seniors.
• Only 10% of all cases need medical referrals, amplification is effective in 90% of all cases of hearing loss.
• In a study of 251 subjects comprised of normal-hearing elderly individuals with hearing instruments and individuals with unaided hearing loss, Bridges & Bentler (1998) determined that hearing instrument wearers had lower depression & higher quality of life scores compared to their unaided counterparts.

  Benefits of Hearing Aid Usage

  1. Reduction of anger, frustration & depression
  2. Reduction of introverted behavior
  3. Reduction of paranoid feelings
  4. Reduction of self-criticism
  5. Improved earning power - (back in work environment)
  6. Improved emotional stability
  7. Regained control of life
  8. Improved relationships with others

  NCOA (National Council on Aging) STUDY
  Treatment of hearing loss is vital to the overall well being of a hearing impaired individual. VA/NIDCD (Veterans Administration & National Institute for Deafness and other Communicative Disorders) STUDY: Amplification is highly effective in treating sensorineural hearing loss. Remember: About 90% of all cases of hearing loss can only be helped with amplification.