Hearing loss in adults is more than a minor inconvenience; it is a public health concern with several far reaching effects that often can be successfully treated. That was the main message in a recent public television broadcast produced by Twin Cities Public TV in collaboration with the Minnesota Commission for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans.
Minnesota Public Television broadcast the 30 minute educational program, which emphasized the significant impact of age-related hearing loss on overall health and wellness. A short preview is shown below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5w_B7cybGc
The program aired several times on local Minnesota PBS stations from late October through mid-November and is currently available to view on their website.
The program features several prominent researchers, authors and local audiologists. Frank Lin of Johns Hopkins University summarized the co-morbid relationship of age-related hearing loss to other common medical conditions. Authors Katherine Bouton (“Living Better with Hearing Loss”) and Monique Hammond (“What Did You Say?”) provided insight on the patient’s experience with hearing loss.
Finally, Sarah Angermanof the University of Minnesota’s Speech and Hearing Sciences Department and local audiologist Holly Dodds of HeathPartners provided valuable commentary and guidance on ear anatomy as well as the evaluation process. Several individuals with hearing loss are featured in the program.
An Effective Message
The production was particularly effective emphasizing the impact of age-related hearing loss, which is the third most common chronic medical condition among older adults, on cognitive function, social isolation, depression and mortality, and that careful management of the condition by audiologists is often very effective.
The program also demonstrated a comprehensive overview of the entire audiologic evaluation process with local clinicians and provided a detailed explanation of various hearing devices, including cochlear implants, hearing aids and hearables.
