# Hearing loss in the Elderly robs them and their families of so much precious time. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 29, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-loss-in-the-elderly-robs-them-and-their-families-of-so-much-precious-time/696872 "2014-08-29T15:52:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-loss-in-the-elderly-robs-them-and-their-families-of-so-much-precious-time/696872/21 "2014-08-30T22:58:43Z")
As I understand it, the main problem with hearing aids is that they amplify everything equally: background noise as well as the voices or whatever that you are trying to pay attention to. The healthy human ear has a system (in the cochlea, controlled by the brain) that selectively amplifies stuff you are trying to listen to, and, in effect, partially mutes the noises that you do not want ([see here [PDF]](http://www.researchgate.net/publication/21690476_The_active_cochlea/file/e0b49517ea2aa6facc.pdf)). This is not mere selective amplification of some frequencies over others. The cochlear amplifier is actively _tuned_ and retuned according to the needs of the moment. The ear is not a simple microphone. Like the other sense organs, it, in fact, acts to select the information the brain wants out of the messy flux of mostly uninformative sound that is available. If this is not working properly, a hearing aid will not fix it, and even if it _is_ working, by amplifying everything a hearing aid will very likely tend to overwhelm the selectivity of the amplification. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-loss-in-the-elderly-robs-them-and-their-families-of-so-much-precious-time/696872/22 "2014-08-31T01:02:13Z")
Hearing aids have been developed for invisibility rather than functionality. If I have to wear a hearing aid (and that day is on the horizon), I wouldn’t care about its visibility. I would happily wear a comfortable headband, but I would want a battery that was cheap and lasted a while. If I had to wear an AAA or even an AA battery in a pouch fine. But you cannot get such a hearing aid. I know this from a friend who has severe hearing loss since a childhood illness and cannot find a pocket-based aid to replace his old one. He is a retired professor of audiology, incidentally. I would want people to know I was hard of hearing so they might be a bit more patient. ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-loss-in-the-elderly-robs-them-and-their-families-of-so-much-precious-time/696872/23 "2014-08-31T01:12:48Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > One of the reasons my grandmother didn’t like her hearing aids is that she waited so long to get them that ambient noise bothered her. She was so used to hearing nothing except for when we shouted or she turned the TV way up. With the hearing aids she could hear everything like a normal hearing person can: traffic, random dogs barking, doors opening and shutting. It was driving her crazy (figuratively), so she didn’t use them that often. My stepdad stopped wearing them for this reason. He hated hearing himself chew. For those with hearing impairment, closed captioning can make it easier to watch TVs and movies. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-loss-in-the-elderly-robs-them-and-their-families-of-so-much-precious-time/696872/24 "2014-08-31T16:15:49Z")
I am hard of hearing and hearing aids have been recommended. But I live alone, so if the TV is loud (and the closed captioning on), it doesn’t bother anyone. My work is mostly just me and my computer, with folks requesting something special by e-mail. At some point, if it deteriorates, I’ll have to look into hearing aids. My health insurance will pay $1000 per ear, I think, which still leaves me out of pocket by quite a lot. StG ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-loss-in-the-elderly-robs-them-and-their-families-of-so-much-precious-time/696872/25 "2014-08-31T22:40:20Z")
Is there any medical explanation for hearing loss in the elderly? My mom lost much of her hearing in two or three years. Her hearing was pretty good at 74. She needed hearing aids by 78. It just happened with no explanation… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-loss-in-the-elderly-robs-them-and-their-families-of-so-much-precious-time/696872.md?page=1)