CENTENNIAL, Colo., Sept. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hearing loss is the third most common chronic physical condition impacting people in the United States today.¹ One in every three people 65 years of age and one in every two 75 years of age and over has hearing loss.²

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This is important because there are surprising health risks directly connected to hearing loss. Research from Johns Hopkins Medicine found walking problems, falls and even dementia are linked to hearing loss.³ When you live with untreated hearing loss, you are not only putting your health at risk, but you may also be missing out on areas of your life and connecting fully with the ones you love.

Since Americans are living longer, hearing health will continue to be a key part of healthy aging. On average, those who currently wear hearing aids struggled to hear for 10 years prior to seeking treatment for their hearing loss.³

That is 10 years of potentially:

- Missing all or parts of precious conversations with a spouse or grandchildren;

- Struggling to communicate on the phone;

- Missing full appreciation of music;

- Not fully participating in once-loved hobbies and/or social activities.

Common signs of hearing loss:

- Asking people to repeat themselves often;

- Difficulty hearing over background noise;

- The feeling that people mumble when they speak;

- Turning up the volume too loud for others when watching TV.

If you have signs of hearing loss, there are solutions and help available. The first step is getting your hearing tested by a Hearing Implant Specialist to determine the current state of your hearing loss. Typically, hearing aids are the first step to treating hearing loss. However, if a hearing loss has progressed beyond receiving benefit from a hearing aid—when it sounds like listening to a loud, badly tuned radio and the words are not clear anymore—it is time to consider a different hearing solution like a cochlear implant.

A cochlear implant works differently than a hearing aid. Hearing aids help many people by making the sounds they hear louder, but when hearing loss progresses, sounds not only need to be made louder, they need to be made clearer. This is when cochlear implants may help. Cochlear implants are designed to help give you that clarity, especially in noisy environments.⁴

Hear from others who were struggling for years with their hearing loss, treated it and got their hearing and life back:

1. Materson EA, Bushnell PT, Themann CL, Morata TC. Hearing Impairment Among Noise-Exposed Workers – United States, 2003-2012. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016; 65:389-394. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6515a2.htm.

2. Hearing Loss and Older Adults [Internet]. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; c2017 [cited 8 May 2018]. Available from: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing-loss-older-adults.

3. The Hidden Risks of Hearing Loss [Internet]. Johns Hopkins Medicine; c2017 [cited 8 May 2018]. Available from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy_aging/healthy_body/the-hidden-risks-of-hearing-loss.

4. Hirschfelder A, Gräbel S, Olze H. The impact of cochlear implantation on quality of life: The role of audiologic performance and variables. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008 Mar;138(3): 357-362.

© Cochlear Limited 2018. All rights reserved. Hear now. And always and other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of Cochlear Limited or Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Views expressed by Cochlear recipients, hearing health providers or other parties are those of the individual. Talk to your health care provider to see if you are a candidate for Cochlear™ technology and to understand the associated risks and benefits. Individual results may vary. Click here to view more.

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SOURCE Cochlear