Saturday 3 July 2021 • Promotional Content


ESTIMATING NOISE EXPOSURE


Sure, we all want to stay within ‘safe’ noise exposure levels, but what if you’re not sure what noise level you’ve been exposed to? There are ways of measuring, such as using a sound level meter app. If this isn’t possible or practical, then you can use this guide to get an approximate idea.


db


140 Gun shot 130 Jackhammer 120 Rock


concert


110 Chainsaw 100 Motorsport 90 Hair dryer


Excessive exposure to levels above 85 db can cause hearing damage


80 Airplane cabin


70 Medium iPod volume


60 Normal conversation 50 Air conditioning


40 Moderate rainfall


30 Running dishwasher


20 Leaves rustling


10 Whisper 0 Silence


social isolation to an increased risk of death. T is study spotlights how those weakened social relationships pose an even greater increased risk for death than either physical inactivity or obesity. From a cognitive and mental


health perspective, older adults with untreated hearing loss are diag- nosed with depression nearly seven times more often and are 57% more likely to suff er from stress, depres- sion and extended periods of bad mood. Additionally, a recent Lancet Commission study on dementia prevention revealed that there was a decrease in cognition with every 10 dB reduction in hearing ability, and that there’s an increase in the incidence of dementia in people with self-reported hearing problems. Even mild hearing loss doubles


Hearing well fosters stronger connections and a more positive outlook. Hearing loss, if left untreated, can cause other signifi cant and serious health issues


is listening to your family and friends when they express concern about your hearing. Most often the trigger to consult an audiologist comes from people in the patients’ lives rather the patients themselves. T ey notice their loved ones starting to compensate by turning up the TV volume, asking for people to repeat them- selves or even talking louder. Pay attention to these alerts as a motivator to get a hearing s c r e e n i n g , because the sooner you’re diagnosed, the


sooner you can


begin treatment and avoid the downstream eff ects of hearing loss on social-emotional, cognitive and physical well-being.


Treatment means hearing well, which improves wellbeing Once


a person has an identifi ed


hearing loss, Phonak sees an over- whelming majority of them not taking action, but instead living with it for up to 10 years without doing anything2


.


T ey let the hearing loss go unchecked and accept the way it’s impacting


their social interactions, their cogni- tive function and even their mental and physical health. T is attitude needs to change. Sure, you need hearing aids to


hear well, but you really need these solutions to live well. T ere’s no need to stop going to family barbecues because the ambient noise outside, combined with lots of people talking at once, makes it hard to hear. T ere’s no need to cancel your weekly golf game and lunch, because you have trouble hearing and keeping up with the conversation. You don’t need


to give these things up even for a year, much less seven or more, until your hearing is ‘bad enough’ and then do something. You can continue to do everything you enjoy by taking action early on. Beyond just hearing better,


treating hearing loss has implications across so many vital health factors. We know that hearing loss puts a strain on social-emotional relation- ships. Scientifi c research has linked


dementia risk. Studies show that a 25 dB hearing loss is associated with a reduction in cognitive performance equivalent to nearly seven years. T is fi nding suggests that early interven- tion and treatment for hearing loss could yield signifi cant benefi t on later life cognition3


.


More interesting are the fi ndings from a recent study4


that looked at


whether using hearing aids impacted cognitive trajectories. T e researchers reported that ‘providing hearing aids or other rehabilitative services for hearing impairment much earlier may stem the worldwide rise of dementia’. Take a minute to let all that sink in. Bottom line: hearing well fosters


easier engagement, stronger social connections and enables people to live a more active and healthy life- style. Hearing loss is a condition that, if left untreated, can seriously aff ect a person’s quality of life. Like any other condition with far-reaching health implications, hearing loss needs to be addressed proactively to enable people to live a more active and healthy lifestyle.


Prevent. Detect. Treat. T ree pretty simple words that pack a big punch when it comes to hearing health. Protect your hearing whether at work, at play or in everyday life. Test your hearing regularly to detect whether you have an issue or not and use that as the impetus to start your hearing healthcare journey today, rather than sitting back and waiting until you’re struggling. Treat your hearing loss, realising it will help you do much more than communi- cate better. It will enable you to fully participate in life — hearing well, after all, is good for your wellbeing.


SET AN APPLE MUSIC VOLUME LIMIT4


To help ensure you and/or your kids are listening to devices at a safe level, pre-set a volume limit:


Step 1. Open the Settings app from your iOS 12 device.


Step 2. Scroll down to the Playback category, where there’ll be an Volume Limit option.


Step 3. With the slider, you can set a volume limit. After that, it won’t exceed the value you’ve just set. Generally, it’s recommended to set to 70% of the default maximum volume.


Innovative healthcare & alternative remedies Healthcare Innovations 23


Visit phonak.com/uk to learn more about how your hearing health can contribute to your wellbeing


1 HTTPS://BMCPUBLICHEALTH.BIOMEDCENTRAL.COM/ARTICLES/10.1186/S12889-020-09602-8 2


REFERENCE : DAVIS, A., SMITH, P., FERGUSON, M., STEPHENS, D., & GIANOPOULOS, I. (2007). ACCEPTABILITY, BENEFIT AND COSTS OF EARLY SCREENING FOR HEARING DISABILITY: A STUDY OF POTENTIAL SCREENING TESTS AND MODELS. HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT, 11,1–294. 3 HTTPS://ACADEMIC.OUP.COM/BIOMEDGERONTOLOGY/ARTICLE/66A/10/1131/686973?LOGIN=TRUE 4HTTPS://PUBMED.NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV/29637544/


5HTTPS://WWW.DRMARE.COM/APPLE-MUSIC/SET-APPLE-MUSIC-VOLUME-IOS.HTML”


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