Turn It Up Man! Baby Boomers Don't Acknowledge Increasing Hearing Loss

Monday, July 06 2009

July 6, 2009

Baby Boomers are losing their hearing. And they don't want to hear about it.

This is a generation that doesn't want to grow old, so acknowledging one of the facets of age – hearing loss – has been difficult for the estimated 78 million men and women who make up the Baby Boomers.

Trouble is, they are losing their hearing and they are losing their hearing at a faster pace than their parents because of a number of factors. In many cases it comes from years of listening to cranked up music live and in concert or from their LPs, 45s, 8-tracks, tapes, CDs and now iPods.

They don't believe they have a hearing problem, they believe others just aren't speaking up.

There are a couple of studies floating around to support the fact that Boomers are in denial about their declining hearing, and experts worry that continued hearing loss and a continued reluctance to address it could mean social isolation for many men and women.

Energizer, maker of all kinds of batteries, did a survey earlier this year that showed how the relationship between Boomer parents and their children suffered because of hearing impairment.

According to Energizer, the survey found that nearly half of adults surveyed (45 percent) said a parent's hearing loss has had an effect on the relationship they have with that parent.

"Being hard of hearing is a personal struggle, but people with hearing loss often forget that their impairment can have a profound effect on the relationships they have with their friends and family," said Dr. Bary Williams, audiologist and Energizer's "All Ears" spokesperson.

The Energizer survey showed that one in three (36 percent) children said their parent misses important details about their lives. Nearly one in 10 (9 percent) said they don't communicate or share information with their parent as much as they would like to because hearing loss gets in the way.

Too often, the kids are just saying "never mind" because it becomes too much of a strain sometimes to engage a hard-of-hearing parent in conversation.

The irony, according to the survey, is that these same Baby Boomers don't think twice about their eyesight and correcting failing vision with glasses or contact lenses.

The survey numbers showed nearly all of the boomers polled (99 percent) wear glasses/contacts all the time or for specific tasks; whereas only 11 percent wear a hearing aid to correct their hearing impairment.

Siemens Hearing Instruments in a recent survey of 250 Baby Boomers and 250 of their children examined the social consequences of Baby Boomers not facing up to their hearing loss.

It found:

• 54 percent of children perceive depression in their father and 50 percent report the same for their mother because of a lack of hearing;
• 53 percent of children perceive isolation on the part of their father and 49 percent for their mother;
• 58 percent of children respondents perceive anger on the part of their father, while 50 percent observe the same about their mother.

"By taking the proper steps to have their hearing tested and treated, Boomers can greatly increase their quality of life, not only through the increased sounds around them, but through greatly enriched relationships with their friends and family," said Dr. Tom Powers, vice president of Audiology and Compliance at Siemens Hearing.

Retired audiologist Virginia Dickinson, herself a Baby Boomer who blogs and Twitters as an Internet entrepreneur, agrees with the notion that members of her generation are vain about aging. But she sees signs that attitudes might be shifting.

“Fortunately, we have seen many advances in technology since 1990.  And the times have changed,” she said.

“Everywhere we go, we now see people with attachments to their ears, from Bluetooth for their phone, to mp3s, or some other type of communication device. So, now suddenly people with hearing aids are not noticed so much as being different and certainly are not sticking out like a sore thumb or a neon sign.”

In addition, the technology of hearing aids has changed dramatically.

Dickinson noted that with technology some devices – completely in the canal (CIC) hearing aids -- can be practically invisible. Behind the ear devices are flatter, smaller and with the right color shading can blend in to a person’s look.

“Cosmetics no longer need to be a barrier to obtaining hearing aids and the benefits are huge,” she said.

About the Author

Paul Briand spent 33 years in newspaper journalism. Based in New Hampshire, he now writes about issues of interest to Baby Boomers.

Read more of Paul Briand’s work here.