klaus
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Jan 26, 2009, 8:02 AM
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A boom in hearing loss
As individuals get older, many begin to have problems hearing and it appears that the baby-boom generation has a significantly higher rate of hearing impairment than any previous generation. It is estimated that in the US alone 16 million, or one in five boomers has a hearing problem. The hearing loss among baby boomers is 26% higher than with previous generations. Of course, the causes are as varied as are the degrees to which individuals suffer from them, but suffice it to say that hearing clinics and audiologists are doing a “booming” business as baby boomers are starting to cross the threshold of their waning years.
While aging has traditionally been associated with hearing loss, medical experts agree that noise is the real culprit. Much of the boomer generation celebrated sex and drugs and rock’n roll, but as they age the sex and drugs fall by the wayside and now it looks that for many baby boomers, rock’n roll is also becoming a thing of the past as the hearing loss caused by their previous lifestyle is robbing many baby boomers of their ability to hear.
Boomers, after all, are the generation that started the trend of attending loud concerts and cranking up their 100-watt per channel RMS speakers to get the best effect of their favorite band. In addition baby boomers have also developed a love affair with loud toys, including motorcycles, ATVs, tools and powerboats. No wonder there’s an epidemic of hearing loss.
But amid all the bad one can also see plenty of good news. Currently digital technology can fill in the gap in most hearing loss with new generations of hearing aids appearing on the market almost daily. Oticon, Beltone, Phonak and other companies engaged in the research and alleviation of hearing loss have made giant strides in creating hearing aids that are extremely effective and relatively affordable. In fact, the latest rage in digital hearing aids is hearing aids equipped with Bluetooth technology that allows individuals to listen to radio, television or their cell phones directly through their hearing aids.
As for the future, some promising research in treating and even restoring hearing loss is currently under way. The cochlear implant, or bionic ear is currently undergoing tremendous amounts of research with a view toward improving this product’s function. The current cochlear implant technology allows for 22 electrodes to use as stimulants for the hair-like nerve cells within the cochlea. This shell-shaped organ is approximately 3cm long and contains in excess of 20,000 nerve cells that are designed to translate sound waves into meaningful input in the brain. Naturally, the current technology is in its infancy, but work is being done to increase that 22 electrodes to several hundred that will enable users to hear more clearly and perhaps even enjoy music again some day.
Most exciting of all, is the research currently being conducted at the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Centre. Experimental work that has been ongoing for over 20 years has yielded some promising results in the area of actually regenerating dead nerve cells in the inner ear. In a recent interview, Edwin W. Rubel, Ph.D. Professor of Hearing Science, and Professor in the Departments of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, among others, had this to say:
“The most important implication is that now, for the first time in history, there are teams of investigators world-wide examining the possibility that hair cell regeneration can be induced in the mammalian and, more specifically we hope, the human inner ear. The obvious implications for humans are that we may discover how to restore hearing and balance disorders in the next decade or two. Current therapies for hearing impairment (hearing aids and cochlear implants), while useful, cannot fully alleviate hearing deficiencies, and there are virtually no therapies for chronic balance disorders.”
It’s a clear indication that the technology of complete hearing restoration is just around the corner.
Klaus Rohrich is President and Creative Director of Taylor/Rohrich Associates Inc., a marketing and advertising firm that specializes in niche marketing retirement real estate developments
http://www.maturitymarketing.com.
(This post was edited by klaus on Feb 17, 2009, 1:55 PM)
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