Following are some interesting statistics on the treatment of hearing loss and how treating a loss can bring about a better quality of life.

• 1 out of 10 Americans have a hearing loss - - - that's more than 31,000,000 people.
• 3 out of 1000 children are born with hearing loss.
• 1.4 million children have hearing loss.
• 15% of "baby-boomers" (ages 45 - 64) have hearing loss.
• 29% of people over age 65 have hearing loss.
• The majority (65%) of people with hearing loss are below retirement age.
• The majority (60%) of people with hearing loss are males.
• Only 5% of hearing loss in adults can be improved through medical or surgical treatment.
• Modern directional microphone hearing aids can help the hard-of-hearing to hear in many noisy situations.
• Amplified telephones are available to help people with hearing loss. Auditory assistive listening devices, when combined with hearing aids, are much like binoculars for the ear.
• Most public places (i.e. theatres, place of worship, government building, schools) are required under the American with Disabilities Act to provide assistive listening devices for the hard-of-hearing.
• Nearly 90% of hearing aids are digital.
• Telecoils in hearing aids can improve the ability to hear in public places and on the telephone.
• People with hearing loss in both ears use two (binaural) hearing aids.
• One of the key determinants of success with hearing aids is realistic expectations.
• Successful treatment of hearing loss with hearing aids is associated with greater earning power.
• Treatment of hearing loss can improve interpersonal relationships.
• Hard-of-hearing people are less likely to be discriminated against if they use hearing aids.
• The use of hearing aids is associated with reductions in anger, frustration, paranoia, anxiety and overall improvements in emotional stability and improvement in social communication situations.
• The use of hearing aids is associated with improved perceptions of the hard-of-hearing's mental ability.
• People who use hearing aids report better health than hard-of-hearing people who do not use hearing aids.
• 9 out of 10 hearing aid users report improvements in their quality of life.
• Customer satisfaction with directional hearing aids is 81%.
• A wax protection system on hearing aids reduces hearing aid repairs by 50%.
• Consumers report a 92% satisfaction with hearing healthcare professionals.
• One of the best ways to get a loved one to seek help for their hearing loss is to stop being their hearing helper!
• Only 13% of physicians screen for hearing loss. Ask your doctor for a hearing screening since it is not a routine part of physical exams.
• The majority of people with nerve deafness are helped with hearing aids.
• A large number of people with tinnitus (ringing in the ears) can be helped with hearing aids or noise generators worn like hearing aids.

The number one reason why people purchase their first hearing aids is they recognize their hearing has worsened. The second reason is pressure from family members who are negatively impacted by the individuals hearing loss. The average age of first-time hearing aid wearers is close to 70 years of age, despite the fact that the majority (65%) of people with hearing loss are below the age of 65; and nearly half of all people with hearing loss are below the age of 55. A large number of people wait 15 years or more from the point when they first recognize they have a hearing loss to when they purchase their first hearing aids. This is a tragedy since they might not be aware of the impact this delayed decision has had on their life, and the lives of their family and associates.

(Adapted from an article written by Sergei Kochkin, Ph.D., Better Hearing Institute, Alexandria, VA. http://www.betterhearing.org/hearing_solutions/quality OfLifeDetail.cfm)