Taking Care of your hearing as you get older

Age-related hearing loss is so common that it's almost taken for granted that your hearing will decline with advancing years. Unfortunately, it is statistically likely - according to figures from the charity Action on Hearing Loss, more than seven in ten people over 70 have some form of hearing loss, and the same is true for more than four in ten people over 50.

However, this doesn't mean that you can't take steps to retain your ability to hear as you get older. Age-related hearing loss is usually caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear, which play an important role in your ears' ability to function. When they die or are damaged, they do not regenerate, so any loss of hearing is permanent. This process often happens so gradually that many people do not realise until they have lost a significant proportion of their hearing.

While you can't stop this from happening, you can be aware of the warning signs so you can receive treatment as soon as possible. When hair cells are lost, one of the first things you may notice is difficulty understanding women and children when they speak, as their voices are in a higher range that is harder for our ears to detect. Other symptoms include finding it difficult to hear people on the phone, needing to turn the TV and radio volume up higher than usual and ear pain or itching that comes and goes.

By themselves, these symptoms don't necessarily mean you're suffering hearing loss - it could just be a build-up of wax or an infection. Either way, though, you should get any such symptoms checked out by your GP and arrange a hearing test to find out if you need treatment. An audiologist will conduct a series of non-invasive tests where you listen to sounds at different frequencies. If you are found to have hearing loss, you may need to have a hearing aid fitted.

While this can be distressing news, remember that modern hearing aids are extremely sophisticated and some are nearly invisible - take a look at the range of hearing aids at Amplifon for some examples. More importantly, though, they can help restore your ability to hear - and by watching out for the symptoms and taking action, you'll be able to get treatment when you need it most.