Physical aging is a natural process that appears within psychosocial and behavioral contexts that greatly influence the progression of an individual’s experience of aging. Aging is often associated with greater exposure to disease and disability. The primary auditory disorder of many older people is difficulty understanding speech in noisy situations or competing speech, or that their communicators speak too fast, or do not articulate clearly enough. Age-related hearing loss, also known as presbycusis is a gradual and progressive hearing loss that affects most individuals as they age. Due to the slow evolution, adults with age-related hearing loss may not recognize that their hearing ability is decreasing, but if they do, they may acknowledge it as typical aging. Age is the greatest risk factor for sensorineural hearing loss, of greater degree in the higher frequencies and increasingly progressive. The term presbycusis reflects both peripheral and central auditory system dysfunction. Nevertheless, hearing loss is often mistreated due to its hidden sense that is always anticipated to be operating. Nevertheless, it is essential to study and understand aspects of several different types of hearing loss as it may be socially debilitating.
Hearing loss can influence the communication abilities of a person, not only in terms of receiving and processing information, but also in providing an appropriate and accurate response to the communicating partner. Impaired audition potentially compromises individual’s interactions with his or her environment, from basic awareness of warning sounds to the complex and subtle nuances of conversation. Individuals with age-related hearing loss may realize several affective factors, such as: the speech ...
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...ds of time compression, rather than to cognitive slowing. Many elders with presbycusis can and do benefit from amplification, such as hearing aids or other assistive listening devices as it enables better hearing and reduces the communication barriers enforced by hearing impairment. By improving the audibility and communication deficits associated with hearing impairment, better quality of life can be achieved. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the prevalence of hearing aids among hearing-impaired elders is quite low, remaining about 20% (Gates et al., 2008). In conclusion, there is evidence that auditory and cognitive factors cause elderly listener’s difficulties keeping up with fast rates of speech. Thus, it is essential to continue these researches to advance the clinical implications of assisting individuals in order to make their communication easier.
During late adulthood, which begins around 65, many changes will take place. Death, sickness, and aging are some of the things you go through. Everyone is affected at some point. Individuals deal with these changes differently. Gerontology is the science that deals with the aging process. Vision can show impairment as people age. One of the changes in vision is the loss of accommodation of the lens. Most people 65 and older have hardened eye lens and have lost elasticity if the lens. Cataracts can form and vision becomes cloudy and is significantly impaired. Glaucoma is a serious condition that causes pressure to increase within the eye and it can result in blindness. Often hearing decreases with age. The hair cells in the Corti (inner ear) can cause a decrease in hearing frequencies. The ossicles and eardrum have a decrease in the transmittance of mechanical sound waves. Due to aging many elderly people have hearing impairment. Loss of appetite from connective tissue cells replacing taste buds. Skin can become thin, dry, and inelastic as it ages and the skin can fold and wrinkle from sagging.
Specific Purpose: To help people to understand what Audism is and that the lack of an ability to hear does not mean they are incapable of performing tasks.
There is no denying that hearing loss can have significant psychosocial impacts on those who experience it. The most negatively impacted group, however, is young children, for whom hearing loss can impede early learning and development (Connor et al., 2006). One viable solution to this problem takes the form of cochlear implants. An artificial cochlear unit is surgically implanted in the ear and functions by translating sounds directly into electrical impulses and sending them to the brain (Roland & Tobey, 2013, p. 1175). Despite the high success rates that they have produced, critics contend that cochlear implants should not be carried out on very young children. They cite certain physiological concerns as well as doubts about long-term effectiveness (Hehar et al., 2002, p. 11). Some have even expressed worries that cochlear implants will negatively impact young children’s social development by making them feel different or out of place (Ketelaar, 2012, pp. 518-519). Certainly, not every child with hearing loss is a viable candidate for an implant procedure. However, when a candidate has been positively identified, the procedure should take place as early as possible, in order to guarantee maximum educational and developmental benefits.
Though some of the hearing community might take on an unknowingly negative approach on deafness due to a lack of knowledge, for those in the deaf community, their hearing loss is not a burden or a disability, but instead an important component of their identity and culture (Sanger-Katz). Many see being deaf as a positive attribute (Sanger-Katz). The motto belonging to the deaf community is “the deaf can do anything but hear” (“Deaf, not I...
All individuals would be enriched by becoming a bit more Deaf. By that we mean society would do well to become more acutely aware of the nuances of communication, more engaged in eye contact and tactile relations, more fluent in a language rich in embodied metaphor, more aware of the role of being a member of close-knit communities, and if nothing else more appreciative of human diversity, so that we [are] constantly reminded that the bedrock of reality may be just as diaphanous as any other social construction. (Bauman and Murray 255)
The Deaf Community is a multitude of communities where people who are deaf and know ASL (American Sign Language) can live together, but do they get the amount of support from other communities that they need?
If a person's hearing or sight is impaired, body language and tone of voice will become more important.
Tucker, Bonnie. “Deaf Culture, Cochlear Implants, and Elective Disability.” Hastings Center Report. 28.4 (1998): 1-12. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Helfer (1998) recognized the slowing of our temporal perceptual processes with increasing age. He suggested that this leads to auditory deformity, especially in the instance of time compressed speech. Speech comprehension requires rapid processing of stimuli that is not always completed in time-compressed speech because of the shortening of phonemes and a decrease in pauses. Helfer went a step further by taking into account that hearing is not just auditory but it is also visual, in that we use cues like looking at the person's mouth or facial expression while having a conversation.
As a teenager who has never experienced hearing loss or the loss of physical movement, I have never been very aware of the obstacles that elders face. After carrying out the activity for this week, I have gained a better insight as to what older Americans experience while living in a country that so dearly values youth. Many young citizens in our country see older people as incapable citizens that need taking care of, which makes them seem like a burden to the American ideas of independence and stability. However, it is only once people grow older that they become aware of the struggles that older people fight through in order to seem independent. While temporarily impairing my hearing, I learned more about myself, the people around me, and especially more about the older people in my life and the struggles that they must endure because of their age.
Often within classroom environments, as well as at home, children learn through visual and auditory perception. Visual and auditory processing are key ways to learn; they are used for recognizing and interpreting information taken from the two senses of sound as well as sight. So clearly it is understood that having this disorder can make it a bit more difficult and troublesome to learn through vision and hearing, but definitely not impossible.
During middle adulthood biological and physical changes become apparent. During this time visual perception, hearing and the reproductive system decline. Adults who have never worn glasses or contact lenses may start needing visual correction (pg 424). During this time adults may also need more light to see than their younger friends (pg 424). During middle adulthood individuals, more commonly men, develop a lower sensitivity to high pitch sounds (pg 424). This is the reason why individuals during this stage find it more difficult to hear and interpret other voices.(pg 424). The female reproductive system starts to decline, slowly ending in menopause. The decline in the circulation of estradiol, the primary hormone of estrogen, causes many differences in reproductive health. During middle age pubic hair thins, there are changes in vaginal chemistry, and the labia begins to thin and wrinkle (pg 424). The chemical changes within the vagina cause dryness and a greater likelihood of infections (pg 424). For men, the decrease in testosterone during middle age is only small however the decrease causes lower bone density and loss of muscle m...
Millions of people deal with Alzheimer's and hearing loss. Several studies have confirmed the link between hearing loss and Alzheimer's. The risk of developing Alzheimer's increases as hearing loss grows worse. Researchers compared people with hearing loss to people who do not have hearing loss. When compared to people with normal hearing, people with mild hearing loss are almost twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's. People who have a severe hearing impairment have a higher risk of developing the disease. Specifically, hearing loss is common in people who have a hearing impairment that is greater than 25 decibels. Senior citizens are most likely to be at risk for hearing loss and Alzheimer's.
Those not thoroughly educated in communication tend to confuse the terms “hearing” and “listening.” Although they appear to mean the same thing, utilize the same body part, and are both required for functional communication, there is a great difference between these two actions. Hearing involves the perception of sound using the ears, while listening is based upon giving attention to the sound being perceived. Additionally, because these concepts are different, there are also several different ways of improving hearing and listening. Thus, there are several differences between these two concepts, and it is important to signify these differences in order to practice effective communication.
Edna, a 79 year old woman with bilateral leg ulcers, is visited by community nurses twice a week to change the dressing on her legs. She lives alone and has recently been feeling socially isolated. This essay will demonstrate the different techniques in which the nurse and Edna will communicate, whilst also identifying socio-political factors that could impact Edna in her daily life. It is predicted that with an ageing population, by 2031 there will be more than 14.5 million people with hearing loss and over 2 million with severe hearing loss in the UK (The Ear Foundation, 2014). Subsequently, due to Edna’s age, this essay will also discuss the impact of ageing body systems on Edna’s life and as barriers when communicating with her.