Are we doing enough to help people with hearing loss?

It’s said that it’s only when you start to suffer from hearing loss that you start to really appreciate just what an important sense it is. For example, without it how can you hear platform announcements in a railway station or enjoy a night at the cinema?

With 10 million people in the UK estimated to suffer from hearing loss, more and more support is available in a wide variety of ways. But it still begs the question that, with this figure predicted to rise to 14.5 million by 2031, could we be doing more?

The main aids for people with hearing loss fit into four main categories: replacing audible alerts, enabling communication, providing information and helping people to amplify the sounds that they can hear.

To start at the beginning of the list, imagine how hard it must be if you can’t hear the alarm clock in the morning or when someone rings the doorbell. Or, even more critically, think what a danger not being able to hear a fire or smoke alarm could be. Fortunately there are a number of alternatives available, including alarms that vibrate or have flashing lights.

A number of profoundly deaf people are also lucky enough to have hearing dogs who are specially trained to alert their owners to noises they can’t hear themselves.

With comparatively few people able to use sign language, communication is another potentially problematic area but, fortunately, technology has come to the rescue in a number of ways. For example, instead of using the phone for an ordinary call, there is now the ability to send a text message to almost anyone, almost anywhere and there is even the technology available to allow text messages to be converted into spoken ones for the recipient. Online messaging services have also transformed real-time communications.

In fact, it’s impossible to overestimate just how invaluable the internet has proved to be in helping people with hearing issues. With round-the-clock news and other information always available through a PC, smartphone or tablet, there is no longer the problem of not being able to hear TV or radio broadcasts to keep abreast of current events, news and weather updates or warnings.

Every year also sees more and more advances in the equipment available to help people hear. These range from more and more places installing sophisticated loop systems, which help hearing aids to block out background noise, to developments in headphones that are making listening to music a much more rewarding experience.

Then there are hearing aids themselves. They are continually being developed and made both more effective and discreet, like these, so very often only the person wearing them knows that they have an issue with their hearing.

So, in the light of the great strides that have been made to help people with impaired hearing, it‘s probably safe to say that while we don’t quite offer all the help we could it’s a stage we could reach in the very near future.