How Important is Your Hearing…to You?
Another year and another Seniors’ Month is upon us. For older adults that may be noticing changes in their hearing, how important is your hearing to you?
According to Statistics Canada, in 2011 the working-age group (people aged 15 to 64) was 68.5% of the population, while over 42% of those people were between 45 and 64 years old.
For the first time that year there were more people still working between the ages of 55 and 64 years old than there were people of the same age group leaving the workforce.
So, how important is your hearing to you?
It’s also been found that Canada is home to over 5,800 centenarians, which is an increase of over 25% from the number in 2006.
One more time, how important is your hearing to you?
The provincial government wants us to focus on the important role that older adults have in our communities during Seniors’ Month, hence their theme this year – “Seniors Making a Difference.”
Good hearing is a part of good health
With this in mind, you could say that good health should be a priority so you can keep doing the things you want to do. Good hearing health is an important part of overall physical well being.
Therefore, regular hearing tests should be a part of your health check-up every year.
Retire off into the sunset
Gone are the days when you hit retirement and you were expected to spend your days sitting on your porch watching life play out in front of you.
Older adults are considered to be the most underutilised group in our society. The treasure trove of lived experiences, education, wisdom and basic know-how that they can offer to our society is mindboggling.
Seniors making a difference
Many older adults are still working and running companies, they’re volunteering, they’re travelling, etc., etc. In essence, older adults are…well…living.
For instance, although older adults are less likely to volunteer than younger age-groups, they contributed one billion volunteer hours in Canada in 2010.
The World Health Organization’s research found that around one-third of people over the age of 65 are affected by “disabling hearing loss.”
What does this mean?
It means that finding it difficult to communicate and to understand what’s being said can be a problem.
Most hearing loss for seniors is age-related and it’s permanent. Over time, these things happen, but you don’t have to let it put a dent into your active lifestyle.
Most hearing loss can be treated with hearing aids.
21st Century hearing aids
There are a variety of hearing aid styles to suit your needs, including invisible, rechargeable, and Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Bluetooth-enabled hearing instruments can be hooked up to your car, phone, or TV, so you can stream audio directly through your hearing aids.
What have you got to lose?
A visit to your Audiologist or Hearing Instrument Practitioner and a simple, painless, non-invasive hearing test can identify the problem.
Results are provided on the spot, along with a recommendation for hearing loss treatment, if necessary.
Trial periods, financing – and in some jurisdictions – government grants make better hearing with hearing aids within reach.
When hearing loss is properly treated, you can get back to more important things in life…and that’s living with no limit.
Happy Seniors’ Month!
