Hearing Loss

The book by John Burkey “Baby Boomers and Hearing Loss” deals with a condition that more and more adults have to face: the inability to hear as well as they used to when they were younger. It is true that hearing loss is not a new condition; the extent to which it is now being reported is steadily increasing - in part because people are living longer. While the media makes light of conductive hearing loss in commercials for a wide range of hearing loss products noteworthy for their small sizes and amazing sound qualities, the realities of this condition cannot truly be appreciated until you have been in a position of temporary hearing loss yourself.

Studies have been conducted which placed healthy individuals into a hearing loss simulator, most often very little more than a completely soundproof room, and it only took a short while for these test subjects to beg to be let out. Who has not heard of the – perhaps apocryphal – story which tells of Ludwig van Beethoven, quite possibly the most gifted musical genius of the times, who penned the Ninth Symphony including the unforgettable Ode to Joy while being unable to hear any of the music, only feeling the vibration of the piano and later the stage as it was performed? Facing the stage at the inaugural performance, the audience erupted in thunderous applause at the end of the symphony, but van Beethoven had to be physically turned around by his friends in order to even realize that the audience had reacted at all to his music.

While the musical genius is said to have had mixed hearing loss that gradually increased, causes of hearing loss are plentiful and nothing is more frightening than sudden hearing loss. Those who underwent the hearing loss simulation described feelings of panic, and a newfound appreciation of the little thought of implications hearing loss carries with it. Yet those who never knew what it feels like to suffer from congenital hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, or diabetes hearing loss will also need to appreciate the difficulties faced by those who suffer.

While John Burkey speaks of baby boomers’ hearing loss, it is imperative to understand that children with hearing loss do have developmental delays and each case of hearing loss must be treated as unique as the individual that it affects. Compassion, extra patience, and the willingness to humbly ask about what a person feels rather than assuming they do not want to discuss their condition are key components to learning about the way to interact with those who suffer. There are those who learn to play acoustic guitar due to hearing loss, since the vibrations of the wood are easily felt. Similarly, there are those who have a whole new conviction about iPod hearing loss and will go to extremes to keep children and teens safe from damaging their hearing.