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

Race for 2012 Audiologist of the Year begins

For the fifth year running hard of hearing people across Europe once again have an opportunity to show their appreciation for the people who care for their hearing. The world's no.1 selling hearing aid battery manufacturer, Rayovac, has teamed up with Audio Infos magazine to find the 2012 Audiologist of the Year.

They are looking for hearing patients in the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Spain and Sweden to nominate professionals who they believe go the extra mile to help them overcome their hearing problems.

The winner will follow in the footsteps of 2011 champion Jens Warnecke (Germany) who was crowned winner at the EUHA hearing congress in Nuremburg last October. He picked up the title ahead of AIHHP's own Robert Beiny (UK), Michel Bourdin (France), Lidia Rossello Martinelli (Spain) and Anna Kennryd (Sweden), who were each named national champions in their own countries.

Rayovac marketing manager Paula Brinson-Pyke said: "It’s a great pleasure for Rayovac to be launching the 2012 Audiologist of the Year award in partnership with Audio Infos. We look forward to reading each of the many hundreds of entries we receive for each country.

"Audiologist of the Year has become an important standard within the industry and it will once again highlight the expertise, professionalism, dedication and compassion with which hearing professionals approach their job.

"We were delighted to welcome Jens to our winners club in 2011 and want to hear more patients telling us why their audiologist deserves the award."

The Audiologist of the Year award, which was first held in 2008, has grown to become the leading industry award for hearing professionals and is judged by a panel of industry experts. All nominations are judged anonymously with the judges particularly looking for audiologists that demonstrate:

• Outstanding commitment to the patient
• Support for the patient and the family
• Making a difference in the patient's life
• Knowledge about new technologies
• Working closely with other specialists, providing a team approach

Entries can be made online – or via post - and votes can be cast until 13th July 2012. Further information is available at the competition website. The overall winner of the competition will again be presented with their award and prize at the annual EUHA Congress which will be held in Frankfurt in October 2012. Each of the national champions also receives an award as do the nominating patients. (All nominations have to be made by patients)

For more information about the competition visit www.audiologistoftheyear.eu.

Did you know #2

Quintus Pedius was a Roman painter and the first deaf person in recorded history known by name.

He is the first recorded deaf painter and his schooling is the first recorded education of a deaf child.