Thibodaux Rotary Club | Wendy Adams, Audiologist
July 31, 2012
By: Amy Connor-Flores
Wendy Adams, and Audiologist with Health Innovations presented at our meeting on Tuesday. Her presentation featured a brief anatomy lesson of the human ear.
She also described various types of hearing loss. These include Conductive, which occurs in the outer and middle ear and can be repairable, Sensorineural hearing loss, which is an inner ear or nerve problem and normally not treatable, Mixed hearing loss which is a combination of the two aforementioned types, and Central hearing loss which may be a loss of the ability to process information.
Noise, age, health problem, medications, toxins, and genetic or other diseases can all contribute to hearing loss. Wendy explained that 48 million Americans are affected by it and of these, 9 million are senior citizens. Hearing loss is the 3rd most common chronic condition among older adults and 40% of individuals affected are over age 65. Over 90% of these individuals have a type that can benefit from hearing aids but only 10-20% obtain them.
If left untreated, hearing loss can diminish a person’s ability or desire to stay socially connected and can lead to stress, other undesirable conditions including fatigue, stress, and even Alzheimer’s. It is important to visit a physician as soon as possible when experiencing a significant change in one or both ears, sudden hearing loss, drainage, dizziness for longer than 90 days, or unilateral tinnitus.
