"I said, ‘Why would I need a hand grenade to know when you want to have sex?"

Shortly thereafter, Rick purchased a hearing aid. Unfortunately, not everyone takes action.

Local residents beset by hearing loss

According to Dr. Richard Carmen, author of "Hearing Loss & Hearing Aids," approximately 30 million Americans suffer from significant hearing loss. Yet only 20 percent seek treatment. Dr. Chris Moor, an audiologist at Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic of the Northwest in Longview, says there are many causes of hearing loss, including childhood diseases, repeated ear infections, and exposure to machinery or loud music.

Dwight Nelson, owner of Beltone dealerships in Kelso and Vancouver, said that Cowlitz County has a high incidence of work-related hearing problems. "People who worked in the mills or in logging often have a big loss in their higher frequencies."

But the most common cause of hearing impairment is caused by presbycusis -- age-related loss.

"With so many baby boomers getting older, cases of presbycusis are on the rise," Moor said. "Nerves degenerate or cells in the cochlea stop doing their job. Things stiffen up in the inner ear."

The ability to comprehend speech is one of the first casualties. "It’s not an inability to hear that’s the problem," Nelson said. "It’s your ability to understand what you hear.

"High frequencies are impacted most noticeably," Moor said. Consonants, which are carried by those high frequencies, convey 80 percent of the meaning of language, so when they aren’t heard clearly, impairment can be severe.

Moor's job is to conduct testing, assess problems, and prescribe hearing aids when necessary. However, he recommends that people see an ear, nose, and throat specialist before they purchase hearing equipment to determine if an existing medical condition might be interfering with hearing.

Hearing loss equals anxiety, isolation

The stigma that accompanies hearing loss deters people from seeking help. A study conducted by the National Council on Aging found that people with hearing problems are more likely to experience increased insecurity, anxiety, frustration, anger, and depression.

"You worry that if people don’t know you’re deaf, they’ll think you’re not all there," Rick Seifert said. Often, people with hearing loss find themselves avoiding social situations because of the potential embarrassment.

"Hearing loss isolates you," said Dr. Jeff Davis, an otolaryngologist at Ear, Nose, & Throat Clinic of the Northwest. "It’s much easier to function if other people understand your handicap."

The majority of those with hearing loss would benefit from wearing hearing aids. But because of the stigma attached to disabilities, many refuse to let others know of their situation.

They'd rather endure in silence.

"You close in on yourself," said Seifert, who acknowledged that his hearing problems created tension at home. "Diane had been complaining about it for some time. When I didn’t hear something she said, she’d wonder if it was selective. It can cause a lot of stress."

Davis said some people "put off dealing with the problem for years because hearing loss is seen as an ‘aging disability.’ They usually have to be motivated by someone --- a spouse who is tired of the situation" or problems on the job.

Seifert, now 62, said his wife's frustration and his problems at work finally pushed him to address the problem. A journalism instructor at the University of Portland, he discovered he could not hear some of his students.

"I realized that I couldn’t hear the women who were in the back of the lecture hall," he said. "I told them that they needed to speak up, but even that didn’t help. I had to walk to the back of the room to understand what they were saying."

Teacher disguised childhood hearing loss

R. A. Long history teacher Mike Polis, 56, has lived with hearing loss since childhood.

"It probably started when I was 4 or 5," Polis said. "The doctors think it was caused by mumps or measles."

To compensate, Polis did what most people with hearing loss do. He made sure he faced speakers directly; he relied on situational context to determine meaning; and he became an accomplished lip reader.

"I got through school by reading lips," he said.

Things got complicated when Polis was a teenager. "I was trying to talk to girls on the phone, and it didn’t work very well. My parents bought me a hearing aid. It was big and fit over the ear. I wore it around the house a little bit, but I never wore it to school."

Polis, who has been teaching since 1975, did not wear a hearing aid during the first ten years of his career. He finally purchased a single hearing aid during the mid-1980s. He has gone through five in 20 years. Some were lost. Others went through the washing machine.

"The new ones are 10 times better than the old ones," Polis said. "They have a lot less feedback," the whistling sound heard by microphones with feedback.

The hearing aid made a difference in the classroom. "I still have to ask kids to repeat things, but I get most of it." In fact, Polis said he catches more conversation than his students realize.

Solutions abound, but not perfection

Hearing aids come in many types. The most common are behind-the-ear (BTE); in-the-ear (ITE), which may completely fill the canal; in-the-canal (ITC), most often in the shape of a split conch shell; and completely-in-the-canal (CIC), which are smaller and less noticeable.

Some older patients or those with physical disabilities cannot be fitted with smaller devices that require a good deal of dexterity. Simply changing the battery --- which is half the size of an aspirin in the smaller devices --- can be a struggle.

When hearing loss is extremely severe, a larger receiver and battery pack, such as those found in behind-the-ear devices, must be used.

The advent of digital technology in the '90s was a leap forward. Digital hearing aids rely on a computer chip to translate sound into algorithms, interpret that sound according to programmed specifications, and then release the sound into the ear canal.

"It's pretty amazing when you think that all of this is being done in real time," said Dr. Bradly Edgerton, an audiologist at Longview's Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic of the Northwest.

Digital hearing aids can be fine-tuned to a greater degree than the earlier analog devices. Volume, bass, and treble can be increased or decreased. Sound filters can be adjusted. But no device solves all problems.

"They’ve come a long way," said Moor, "but no hearing aid can eliminate all background noise."

Occlusion, a feeling akin to having your ears plugged with water, is a major complaint among hearing-aid wearers. A new device, dubbed "open-fit," has provided some relief. Open-fit hearing aids feature a small receiver that tucks behind the ear and thin, nearly invisible tubing that runs to the ear canal.

Dan Smith, a consultant at Miracle Ear in Kelso, said the open-fit devices, which have been on the market for a few months, are proving popular with customers. "Not only is the sound quality good," Smith said, "but they’re a great solution for people who have problems with occlusion."

One drawback, Smith said, is that open-fit aids are not effective for people with significant hearing loss that affects lower tones.

Hearing aids: a help and a nuisance

Chris Moor cites inconsistent use as the most frequent obstacle to success with hearing aids. "It takes six months or more for the brain to adapt to the hearing aids," he said. "When you get them, you start ‘alerting’ to things you didn’t hear before. It can be very fatiguing. The brain needs time to relearn what sounds to ignore. It can’t do that unless you wear the hearing aids regularly."

Moor said that some patients choose to wear their hearing aids only for specific occasions -- attending church or meeting with clients, for example. As a result, they never give their brains a chance to fully adapt.

Although Seifert and Polis wear their hearing aids on a regular basis, both say they are much happier without the devices.

"I'm a lot more comfortable with my hearing aids out," Seifert said. "It’s like having cotton in your ears. You can’t ignore them."

Polis said when he wears them at home, "my wife doesn’t have to repeat things as much and the TV doesn’t have to be on as loud. But having everything amplified so much drives me crazy."

By Jim Lemonds
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2006/03/26/this_day/news04.txt