Hearing In Old Age And What To Do To Cure The Problems

Hearing results from the ear-brain couple. The ear picks up the sound waves and transmits the vibrations to the cochlea. There, hair cells transform them into electrical signals transmitted to the brain by the auditory nerve. It is at this level that the sounds are processed, interpreted and memorized.

To fulfil its functions, the ear is divided into three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of the pavilion (the visible part) and the ear canal leading to the eardrum. Its role is to capture and amplify the sounds and to bring the vibrations of the tympanum to the middle ear, which in turn transmits them via the ossicles to the inner ear containing the cochlea and the hair cells.

Increasingly with age, hearing disorders have a great impact on social life, and would even have repercussions on the functioning of memory. Nearly 44% of seniors would have difficulty understanding and 3 out of 5 report having difficulties in following a conversation in noise. A poor hearing prevents communication, accelerates isolation and aging. Hearing alert is important for the feeling of safety, as well as for avoiding accidents and falls. Hearing sounds in her living space is reassuring. This is why regular check-ups at an ear clinic in London in important.

The loss of hearing concerns 40% of the 60-70 years and more than 50% of the over 80 years. This is a natural and irreversible phenomenon of aging sensory cells of the ear, called presbycusis. Two reasons for this wear. First, there are only 15,000 sensory cells in each of our ears and they wear out under the weight of the noise pressure since we were born. Secondly, these damaged cells are destroyed and are not renewed. If you feel you are not fully at your normal hearing you should go to an ear clinic in London for an assessment.