Learning To Listen

None — Aging and Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is more common with age. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about 30 to 35 percent of adults 65 to 75 have some degree of hearing loss. Among those 75 and older, 40 to 50 percent have hearing loss.

Gradual loss of hearing in adults is called presbycusis. The condition affects the ability to hear high-pitched sounds (low-pitched sounds aren't affected). Words with higher pitched sounds, like an "s" and "th," are more difficult to hear clearly, and thus, understand. Women's voices may be difficult to hear, while a man's voice may be easy to hear. It may be particularly difficult to understand a conversation against a noisy background. The cause of presbycusis isn't known, but the condition tends to run in families.

Age-related hearing loss may also be caused by damage to the tiny hair cells in the inner ear (called sensorineural hearing loss.) These hair cells conduct sound waves to the hearing nerve. It's also associated with a loss of hearing in higher pitches. A common cause of sensorineural hearing loss is excessive exposure to loud noises.

In older people, symptoms of hearing loss often appear gradually. Often people aren't aware they can't hear well until someone else points out the problem. Sometimes older people recognize they can't hear clearly, but aren't willing to admit they are troubled by the symptoms. However, hearing loss can have a negative effect on social life. The problem can also lead to safety concerns, like the ability to understand a doctor's advice or to hear alarms.

Training to Listen

Hearing rehabilitation programs aim to help people learn how to listen better to understand speech sounds. But Nancy Tye-Murray, Ph.D., Audiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, says, these programs are typically held in a clinical practice and can be very boring for patients. In addition, they may not help patients gain the listening skills needed for real-life situations.

Tye-Murray teamed up with a cognitive psychologist and an expert in second language learning to develop a new type of computer-based listening program for clients with hearing loss. The goal of the program is to teach the ability to listen in a wide range of everyday environments, from a room conversation to a restaurant, party or sports arena.

Tye-Murray says the training program aims to help users learn how to reinterpret speech sounds in simulated real-life environments. Participants in the experimental program sit at a computer with a touch screen. The users learn how to distinguish between closely sounding syllables (like "ba" and "ma"). Users also learn how to make quick educated guesses about the sound meaning based upon the rhythm of speech and the context of the conversation. Researchers will measure listening ability before and after the training to determine how much the program helps clients to listen and hear clearly.

The "listening lessons" program is currently in the first year of a three-year study. If the program proves to be useful, Tye-Murray hopes to one day offer it over the Internet so it will be available to anyone who needs it.

For general information on hearing loss: American Academy of Audiology American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

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