UE TO TRACK THE WEST
MIMS FIRE.
>> RICH, THANK YOU.
>>> WELL MAY IS BETTER HEARING
AND SPEECH MONTH.
SURVIVOR CONTESTANT WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH A HEARING LOSS AT
39 YEARS OLD.
JOINING US THIS MORNING, ANITA
PORSCHE AND Dr. DANIEL ZIG HER
TO TELL US WHY YOU SHOULDN'T
WAIT TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU
THINK THAT YOU SUFFER FROM
HEARING LOSS.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU BOTH, THANK
YOU FOR COMING ON.
AND I KNOW IT IS SOMETHING THAT
A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO
TALK ABOUT, BECAUSE, IT HAS TO
DO WITH THAT AGING PROCESS.
BUT IT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO
TALK ABOUT.
HOW COMMON IS HEARING CLOSS
AMONG AMERIC ADULT?
>> IT IS ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING WE
NEED TO TALK ABOUT.
HEARING LOSS IS PROBABLY PRESENT
IN ABOUT HALF O THE POPULATION
OVER THE AGE OF 60.
IT CERTAINLY GETS MORE COMMON AS
WE AGE, PROBABLY 80% OF 80 YEARS
OLDS, BUT FRANKLY, MANY YOUNG
PEOPLE NOW ARE STARTING TO
SUFFER FROM HEARING LOSS AT THE
RATE OF FASTEST RISE IN OUR
YEARS OLD.
SO THIS IS NOT JUST THE DISEASE
OF THE OLD AND ELDERLY, IT IS
NOW A DISEASE OF THE YOUNG AND
THE BABY BOOMERS.
>> SO I'LL ASK YOU THIS, WHAT
ARE SOME OF THE EARLY WARNING
SIGNS THAT YOU'RE HEARING MAY B
IMPAIRED?
>>> THE FIRST THING THAT MAY
HAPPEN IS PEOPLE HAVE SMALL
LITTLE PROBLEM, I CAN'T HEAR ON
THE TELEPHONE, CAN YOU PLEASE
TELEVISION.
THINGS MAY GET MORE SEVERE AND
START TO HAVE PROBLEMS AT WORK.
THEY MAY HAVE TROUBLE HOLDING A
JOB, THEIR INCOME MAY GO DOWN
AND IN SEVERE CASES PEOPLE START
TO BECOME SOCIALLY ISOLATED,
THEY DON'T ENJOY GOING OUT IN
PUBLIC, THEY GET SCARED BECAUSE
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO
HEAR THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
TALK ABOUT THEM IN A RESTAURANT
OR CLOUDED PLACE.
IN MOST CASE PEOPLE CAN BECOME
CLINICALLY DEPRESSED BECAUSE
THEY'RE SO SCARED AND SOCIALLY
ISOLATED.
>> WHAT IS THE DANGER OF LETTING
HEARING LOSS GO UNTREATED.
>> PEOPLE DON'T SEEK TREATMENT
FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS AND
OFTENTIMES IF THEY DO THINK THEY
HAVE A PROBLEM, THEY DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.
WE DO KNOW NOW THAT UNTREATED
HEARING LOSS IS A RISK FACTOR
NOBLE FOR SOCIAL ISOLATION AND
LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY IN THE
WORKPLACE, BUT HEARING LOSS THAT
GOES UNTREATED CAN BE AN
INDEPENDENT RISK FACTOR FOR NEW
ONSET DIMENTIA, A NUMBER OF
REASONS TO HAVE HEARING LOSS
CHECKED AND TREATED.
>> I HAVE TO ASK YOU THIS, HOW
IMPAIRED?
AND HOW HAS THAT IMPACTED YOUR
LIFE.
>>> I STARTED TO LOSE MY HEARING
AT AGE 39, BY 44, I WAS SEVERE
TO PROW PROFOUND HEARING LOSS
AND AT THAT POINT I NEEDED TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE I
HAVE HAVING DIFFICULTIES
UNDERSTANDING WHAT PEOPLE WERE
SAYING I WAS AFRAID TO GO OUT
INTO PUBLIC AND DIDN'T WANT TO
GO INTO ANY SOCIAL SITUATIONS
WHERE PEOPLE WAS GOING TALK TO
ME BECAUSE I WAS NOT GOING BE
ABLE TO ANSWER THEM AT THAT
POINT I WENT IN AND BOUGHT A
HEARING AID.
THE HEARING AID DID NOT HELP ME,
THEY RAISED THE VOLUME AND THAT
IS NOT WHAT I NEEDED.
THE CONGRESS HEAR IMPLANT
CLARIFIES SPEECH FOR YOU.
I WAS ABLE TO GET MY FIRST
IMPLANT ABOUT SIX MONTHS AFTER
AND WENT IN FOR MY INITIAL
TESTING AND THE CONGRESS LEAN
CLEARED SPEECH FOR ME 100%.
I WAS NOT FEARFUL ANYMORE.
I COULD GO OUT, I COULD
UNDERSTAND WHAT PEOPLE WERE
SAYING TO ME AND IT GAVE ME BACK
MY CONFIDENCE.
AND THAT WAS A LIFESAVER RIGH
THERE BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND
SPEECH SO MUCH E THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR JOINS US AND I KNOW
YOU'RE PART OF THE MILLION EAR
CHALLENGE, WE HAVE THE
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