Scientists warn of a 'deaf' generation

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Anyafaj

Trouble is, I don't hear silence.

I hear "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"



Now, don't get me wrong. I'd rather hear that than nothing. Unless that was the only thing I could hear.

When I take my hearing aids out that is the ONLY thing I hear. It's very annoying.

a reply to: Anyafaj



I don't understand why most insurance won't cover hearing aids. Yes, they can be expensive but they only need to be replaced every 5-7 years. I have old ones because I can't afford 2 hearing aids at $3000 each. (Sure, put it on a credit card and go into more debt!)

When insurance covers optical and dental it's crazy they don't do the same for hearing.

they are already selectively deaf when it comes to doing the dishes :p

a reply to: Anyafaj

I'd be more worried about youngsters not having the ability to write, talk and communicate on a personal level!!

a reply to: Anyafaj

This might be a little off the intended track, but this is one of the things I have been warning my younger relatives about for several years now.

Something is wrong, and it's a lack of education combined with this belief by the young that they are indestructible.

The same is happening with alcohol consumption. Younger people, especially here in the UK, seem completely oblivious to the health risks they are exposing themselves to. They go out every weekend and get completely wasted, and some professionals here have been warning of a coming tsunami of Liver disease in people as young as 30, something the NHS will not be able to cope with.

We can perhaps say the same thing happened with the obesity rates. We did absolutely nothing about the risks of fast food, junk loaded up with sugar and chemicals, and now we're paying the price for that ignorance. When we should have been paying attention to the warnings about junk food consumption in the 80's and 90's, we did nothing at all, and now we're facing massive problems with obesity.

The same is now going to happen with deafness. Young people are blasting music right into their eardrums, turning it up to block out all other sounds. Venues are ignoring laws over sound levels, attendees at gigs are standing right next to the speakers and coming out of those venues temporarily deaf. Young people are cramming ridiculous speakers into their cars, turning them from a method of transport into a massive iPod.

In the next ten years we're going to see soaring rates of obesity, soaring rates of liver disease and failure in very young people, probably much higher rates of cancer, and now considerable levels of deafness too.

I hate the notion of the nanny state as much as the next guy, but we need to be educating the young about the basics and hammering these things into their heads before they do themselves irreparable damage.

And parents, I'm pointing the finger at you here too. Stop handing over all responsibility to the schools and teachers, they are not responsible for your children being educated about the basics of life, health, society and so on, that's YOUR job. The job of your school is to educate your child in the fundamentals of science, math, language and the practical things they need to be able to function well in the future. They are not there to replace you as a parent and do the entirety of your job for you.

originally posted by: texasgirl
a reply to: Anyafaj



I don't understand why most insurance won't cover hearing aids. Yes, they can be expensive but they only need to be replaced every 5-7 years. I have old ones because I can't afford 2 hearing aids at $3000 each. (Sure, put it on a credit card and go into more debt!)

When insurance covers optical and dental it's crazy they don't do the same for hearing.

Some states no longer cover optical anymore. NC dropped it in 2012 for adults. They only cover kids now. My daughter broke my glasses and I had to wait until I moved to PA 3 years later to get them replaced.

a reply to: Anyafaj

Now where have i heard that before , ah yes it was in the sixties and guess what , i did not go deaf .

I personally don't believe this persons thesis. Sure we're exposed to louder noises in city and suburban environments but nature isn't totally silent either, just quieter. In nature you still have the wind against the grass or trees, birds, rushing water, bugs etc.

In my mind total silence doesn't really exist I believe that was one of the points to John Cage's 4'33". During this piece although the audience and orchestra sit in total silence you can still hear people coughing, moving in their chairs, the sounds of a buildings air conditioner or heater etc.

originally posted by: Anyafaj

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
I just ordered some bone conducting headphones, and learned that they use the same technology as some hearing aids. I was fascinated by the technology, and had to see it for myself.

I'll have to check that out. Do they work well? Let me know. I've seen the one advertised on TV, but I didn't want to spend $40 on something that might not work.

I can report that I have one very happy husband who uses the "TV Ears" sold by Radio Shack. His hearing loss is fairly slight but enough to make him turn the TV just a bit too loud, loud enough to intrude at the other end of the house.
He's had them for a couple of years now and is really pleased with them. Me too----it means I can listen to music or radio in one end of the house while he's doing Netflix at the other end.

ETA: If you have problems getting glasses check to see if there is a local Lions Club. In our area they supply glasses to anyone who needs them.

originally posted by: diggindirt

originally posted by: Anyafaj

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
I just ordered some bone conducting headphones, and learned that they use the same technology as some hearing aids. I was fascinated by the technology, and had to see it for myself.

I'll have to check that out. Do they work well? Let me know. I've seen the one advertised on TV, but I didn't want to spend $40 on something that might not work.

I can report that I have one very happy husband who uses the "TV Ears" sold by Radio Shack. His hearing loss is fairly slight but enough to make him turn the TV just a bit too loud, loud enough to intrude at the other end of the house.
He's had them for a couple of years now and is really pleased with them. Me too----it means I can listen to music or radio in one end of the house while he's doing Netflix at the other end.

ETA: If you have problems getting glasses check to see if there is a local Lions Club. In our area they supply glasses to anyone who needs them.

Thanks Digg. I'll go ahead and check out the As Seen On TV hearing aid for now until I need something stronger. I appreciate your input! It really helps! When I moved up here to PA I was going to donate my old glasses, but the optician suggestion holding on to them because my daughter, being autistic, has a tendency to break anyone's glasses in an autism fit. They said this way if she broke mine, I could have my old ones to drive with until I could get a new pair. In 3 year's time frame, she broke her pair 8 times! Even wire frame. Needless to say keeping her supplied is immensely difficult.

i hope theis deaf generation starts a choir called deaf generation.

As it stands now, I'm 50% deaf in both ears and don't have the $3000 for the hearing aids I need, so instead I have to ask people who mumble to please speak up, listen to my daughter constantly tell me I misunderstood her, drive everyone batty with closed captioning and loud volume, constantly turning up the radio in my car because it always feels like it's on low

Yep I can relate to the above to a Tee almost, I am in about the same shape you are OP and its been hell and going down hill every year from 20 years ago. Where I really got into trouble was last year when I decided to die one morning and once they got me into the hospital I could not hear what they were asking me? I too had a quote for two hearing aids at the cost of $4100 bucks and no guarantee they would help me, I am also on disability from work 22 years now and my insurance will only put up $1000.00 bucks and only after I pay the full amount first. That makes hearing aids out of the question in my situation.

Any one reading this thread I beg you to turn down the volume on your music and videos as it will most definitely come back and bite you in the Arse later on in life. Great thread OP and S&F for your efforts!

Regards, Iwinder

originally posted by: texasgirl

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Anyafaj

Trouble is, I don't hear silence.

I hear "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"



Now, don't get me wrong. I'd rather hear that than nothing. Unless that was the only thing I could hear.

When I take my hearing aids out that is the ONLY thing I hear. It's very annoying.

Yep all I hear is a vacuum cleaner running at full throttle when there is no other noise to hear, it drives me nuts too.

Regards, Iwinder

originally posted by: Iwinder

As it stands now, I'm 50% deaf in both ears and don't have the $3000 for the hearing aids I need, so instead I have to ask people who mumble to please speak up, listen to my daughter constantly tell me I misunderstood her, drive everyone batty with closed captioning and loud volume, constantly turning up the radio in my car because it always feels like it's on low

Yep I can relate to the above to a Tee almost, I am in about the same shape you are OP and its been hell and going down hill every year from 20 years ago. Where I really got into trouble was last year when I decided to die one morning and once they got me into the hospital I could not hear what they were asking me? I too had a quote for two hearing aids at the cost of $4100 bucks and no guarantee they would help me, I am also on disability from work 22 years now and my insurance will only put up $1000.00 bucks and only after I pay the full amount first. That makes hearing aids out of the question in my situation.

Any one reading this thread I beg you to turn down the volume on your music and videos as it will most definitely come back and bite you in the Arse later on in life. Great thread OP and S&F for your efforts!

Regards, Iwinder

Growing up, I always listen to music on a low volume. I was one of those kids that played games using my senses. My brother and I would blindfold each other for example, and hide stuff from the other. For example, when it was my turn, he would hide the Ritz crackers in the cereal box, or pour Kool-Aid in a milk cup to try and fool me. Then he would blindfold me at the top of the stairs, and I would have to not only find the item, but correctly guess what it was, using all my senses. I was usually better at it. For example, I knew Ritz was heavier than regular cereal and sounded different when you shook it, or Kool-Aid smelled fruitier than milk, obviously, and tasted different. I used to love playing any game that involved my senses. Now I miss not being able to hear certain sounds, but it's ok. What can you do? Right? Mine is from illness, not blasting music. (Meniere's.)

I used to love playing any game that involved my senses. Now I miss not being able to hear certain sounds, but it's ok. What can you do? Right? Mine is from illness, not blasting music. (Meniere's.)

a reply to: Anyafaj

Yeah I caught the cause of your hearing loss in the OP, mine they figure was from either chicken pox or the measles when I was young. Shortly after suffering through those two illnesses I started having ear infections left and right sides at the same time. I was very young maybe 6 or 7 years old but I still remember the pain. My squawking on the loud music is just from my personal knowledge of what sever hearing loss can do to you. I am just trying to prevent even one person from experiencing what I do. I am medically termed as deaf now and it's been no bed of roses for me for the past couple of decades. And I am sure its been no pleasure cruise for you either.

Again thanks for posting a great thread and hopefully bringing awareness to the table.

Regards, Iwinder

originally posted by: Iwinder

I used to love playing any game that involved my senses. Now I miss not being able to hear certain sounds, but it's ok. What can you do? Right? Mine is from illness, not blasting music. (Meniere's.)

a reply to: Anyafaj

Yeah I caught the cause of your hearing loss in the OP, mine they figure was from either chicken pox or the measles when I was young. Shortly after suffering through those two illnesses I started having ear infections left and right sides at the same time. I was very young maybe 6 or 7 years old but I still remember the pain. My squawking on the loud music is just from my personal knowledge of what sever hearing loss can do to you. I am just trying to prevent even one person from experiencing what I do. I am medically termed as deaf now and it's been no bed of roses for me for the past couple of decades. And I am sure its been no pleasure cruise for you either.

Again thanks for posting a great thread and hopefully bringing awareness to the table.

Regards, Iwinder

Anytime hon. I had a very mild case of chicken pox as a child. I know to be aware though, as I have a possibility of getting them again as shingles as an adult. I have a low immune system, so chances are if someone has the flu, I get the flu, if it's contagious, I'll get it, at least 90% guaranteed. I didn't realize you caught the Meniere's part. My mistake. I sometimes miss a lot skimming. Forgive me.