Individual. Progressive. Professional. A Sound Approach to HEARING Healthcare.

Facts on Hearing Loss

Hearing Loss in Adults

· The deaf and hard-of-hearing account for the single largest group of disabled people in America.  Of the more than 49 million disabled, at least 28 million have a significant hearing impairment that interferes with communication.  It is more than all those suffering from heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, blindness, tuberculosis, venereal disease and kidney disease combined.

· One in every ten (28 million) Americans has hearing loss.  As baby boomers reach retirement age starting in 2010, this number is expected to rapidly climb and nearly double by the year 2030.

· Of the 28 million, more than half (15 million) is under the age of 45.

· 60% of people with hearing loss are between the ages of 21 and 65.

· Among seniors, hearing loss is the third most prevalent, but treatable disabling condition, behind arthritis and hypertension.

· While the vast majority of Americans (95%) with hearing loss could be successfully treated with hearing aids, only 22% (6.35 million individuals) currently use them.  Only 5% of hearing loss in adults can be improved through medical or surgical treatment.

· The incidence of hearing problems among Americans increased by almost 54 percent between the early 1970s and early 1990s

· Between 1990 and 2050, the number of hearing and speech impairments will increase at a faster rate than the total U.S. population as a direct result of aging of the U.S. population and our love of power tools, boom boxes and motorized garden and recreation equipment.

· Unable to follow the conversation of two or more people talking at the same time or if there is “white noise” in the background, people with hearing loss stop going to live events.

· People with hearing loss wait an average of seven years before seeking help.  Only 9.7% of people age 65 and older have normal hearing; only 78% of people over 55 have normal hearing.