Emergency procedures: Are you in danger?

A warning is being made to hoteliers that they may be risking the lives of some of their hearing impaired guests by not having the correct emergency procedures in place.

Some 232 hotels in London were surveyed by Action on Hearing Loss and they found that one in ten admitted to not having a specific procedure or equipment for deaf or hard of hearing guests in the event of an emergency.

Of those hotels that had modified equipment systems in place, only 13% used flashing alarms specifically designed for people with reduced hearing ability, in addition to acoustic sirens or bells.

Under the Equality Act 2010, hotels as well as other public areas are duty bound to make 'reasonable adjustments' to accessibility for those people with disabilities.

It is not known if these figures are reflected across all areas of the UK but it would be wise for anyone with affected hearing levels to always ask, when staying at a hotel or guest house, what procedures they have in place for guests with impaired hearing.

How old?

According to an American plastic surgeon, earlobes can give your age away.

Earlobes - like other areas of the face and neck - lose collagen and elasticity in much the same way your face does, leading to sagging lobes that are elongated. This is exacerbated with woman if they wear heavy earrings and hoops that are so popular nowadays.

This plastic surgeon recommends to all his face-lift patients, that they should consider ear lobe surgery in addition to their face-lift as gravity takes its toll on earlobes too.

Did you know? #3

The emperor of Rome, Hadrian 76 to 138 AD who inherited fame for building Hadrian's Wall in Britain, had to cup his ears to hear orders repeated because of hearing difficulties, as recorded in contemporary court descriptions.

Inner ear memory

Our ears still hear sounds even after the sound source has stopped. Researchers have found that sounds create after-vibrations in our inner ear and these vibrations, in all probability, function like a form of short-term memory.

It has always been assumed that the hair cells in the inner ear only moved when they were directly affected by sounds. The study has, however, shown that there are after-vibrations in the inner ear. How long the small hairs move after the sound depends on the strength of the sound and its frequency.

The goal of these after-vibrations, according to the research team, could be to function as a form of mechanical archive or short-term memory in the inner ear. The researchers believe that the after-vibrations can have an effect on our ability to perceive sounds and language. The ability to detect brief gaps in an ongoing stimulus is critical for speech recognition. Even a minor hearing loss can lead to a substantial reduction in these after-vibrations and that would mean it is more difficult to perceive the small gaps in an ongoing stimulus, which in turn would have a bearing on speech recognition.

A link between hearing loss and dementia?

Researchers in the United States have found a close relationship between losing your hearing and memory loss. The study was carried out at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. 693 men and women aged between 36-90 years were studied. All participants underwent initial hearing and cognitive testing at the outset of the study between 1990 and 1994; none of the participants had dementia at that point.
These participants were then followed for the development of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia through to 2008 - an average of 12 years.

The study revealed that the risk of dementia increased among participants with at least a mild 25-decibel reduced hearing ability. Participants with more severe hearing loss were most likely to be diagnosed with dementia – and even Alzheimer's. The relationship between Alzheimer's and hearing loss should come as no surprise - After all, how can you remember what someone said if you didn't hear them say it.

Several symptoms are common to both Alzheimer's and untreated hearing loss. These symptoms include depression, anxiety, feelings of isolation and problems with talking and understanding what is being said. In addition, people with either Alzheimer's or unidentified hearing loss may have inappropriate responses to social cues, lower scores on tests of mental function, attitudes of denial, defensiveness, or negativity, and increased distrust of others' motives, even those of family and friends.

Research has shown that hearing loss damages interpersonal and family relationships and may lead to emotional instability, low self-esteem and even depression. Untreated hearing loss not only reduces one's quality of life, but it can also result in the brain losing its capacity to recognise everyday sounds.

Therefore, it is imperative that a hearing loss is dealt with as quickly as possible and using the most appropriate and up to date technology available will significantly ease everyday communication.

Good Vibrations

Two thirds of the 250 million people worldwide who suffer from a disabling hearing impairment live in the developing world. Conventional hearing aids are much less effective in these areas because the majority of problems are due to infection damaging the ear drum and middle ear.

Hearware is a hearing aid designed for the developing world that uses bone conduction, bypassing the need for a good ear drum. The aid is even solar powered and sits on the bone behind the head sending sound vibrations through the skull to the inner ear bypassing the parts that are damaged by infection.

This device can have the colour of its casing changed to make it culturally more acceptable and dispenses with the need for hard-to-get micro batteries in places like sub-Saharan Africa.

Have we earned your vote?

People of all ages around the UK are being invited to join the search for the country's top hearing expert. Audiologist of the Year is recognised as the leading accolade for hearing professionals and is judged by an independent panel of industry experts.

The award recognises the work of audiologists throughout Europe who go beyond the call of duty in their quest to deliver a life changing service for their patients and clients. Patients with inspirational stories to tell are encouraged to vote. It may be your hearing professional has provided support at a time of real need or delivered care over many years. Anyone can enter providing you've had a hearing device fitted in the last five years. All you need to do is to tell about the care you received and the difference it has made to your life. If you would like to help us again this year email us for a nomination form which you can download or complete on line.

www.audiologistoftheyear.eu