Leading Causes of Hearing Loss in Retirement Age Adults

Some hearing loss is expected as you age; however any type of acute hearing loss can be caused by a number of factors. Hearing loss typically happens gradually so that you may not notice the effects. When you hear, a sound enters your ear canal and the ear drum starts to vibrate. These vibrations are amplified by the tiny bones in the middle ear. From there, these sounds are translated into nerve impulses which migrate to the brain for interpretation.

Sometimes an injury to the outer or middle ear can result in conductive hearing loss while the more organic problems like cranial nerve damage, brain damage or inner ear trauma are considered sensorineural hearing loss. All this may sound like a bit of mumbo jumbo, so to break it down even further, here are a few reasons why older adults might lose their hearing:

1. Lifetime of noise - When your hearing gradually decreases, this could most likely be due to a lifetime of noise exposure. If you work in a profession that is loud like construction, rock band or even landscaping (the mower is loud), this can build up damage to your hearing over time.

2. Viruses - Sometimes, people get viruses that your body successfully fights off. There is typically no medication that can cure or treat a virus. You can only treat the symptoms. Sometimes however, viruses can cause damage to your ear drum, the bones in your middle ear or even compromise the cranial nerve, the one responsible for transferring nerve impulses to the brain for interpretation.

3. Bacteria - Sometimes a simple bacterial infection in the ear can cause a lot of damage, specifically to the ear drum or even to the delicate bones in the middle ear.

4. Meniere's disease - Several million people in this country is confounded by symptoms of stuffiness in the ears, dizziness, and tinnitus and hearing loss. Meniere's disease is the cause of it and is believed to be related to how much fluid build up you have in the ear. No one really knows what causes this disease or how to affectively treat it.

5. Medications - The drugs you are taking for certain medical conditions could be a contributing cause of hearing loss. The theory is that if you can determine which drugs are causing the problem, then you can stop them and eventually get your hearing back. However, that is not always the case.

There are a variety of tests that your doctor can do to determine the exact extent of your hearing loss. In some cases, the tests could also determine the underlying cause. Treatment could be as simple as discontinuing a certain medication or prescribing a surgical implant or even a hearing aid.

In some hearing loss cases, the trend is not reversible. However, there are many options for treatment that will make your quality of life better. If you notice that your hearing isn't what it used to be or friends and family complain that you always have the TV or radio too loud or that you cannot hear them, get to the doctor for testing.

Healthy Aging and your Workplace

More about your workplace and how it affects your health:

Some places that you work at can be dangerous to your health. They can cause you a lot of medical and mentally problems. We know you have to work, now days if you do not work your not going to get anywhere. We are not telling you to run off and quite your job but we want you to do your work safely. So talk a long look into your work environment to see if you are safe or not. Does your environment affect your health?

What are some of jobs that are bad for one to do?

Some of the jobs that are bad for your health are sawmills and other mills the reason for this is because of the small gains that you breath in your lungs. In sawmills, a person will breathe in the sawdust, which effects your respiratory system. Other types of mills a person will breathe in all the small gains like corn, or wheat, and what ever else they grain up. Breathing all this stuff can cause you to develop lung disease and/or lung cancer. Factories often cause bronchitis, allergies and so on.

People in the southern parts work in the coalmines. These people have it bad too for the same reason. When the person visits the doctor environment factors are considered, which doctors often find damage due to the chemicals in the atmosphere or environment?

Coalmines are filled with black Sid. Black Sid will causes diseases known as the black lung cancer. Once the disease is in your system, unless your doctor caught it at the first stage, usually a person is out of luck.


Jobs may include the ones where a person has to spray to kill the weeds and the bugs. Spray is used to terminate lime also. The crops require such sprays to grow healthy, yet a person breathing in these hard chemicals are at risk. The chemicals do not only kill what they are spraying, but it ends up killing the person slowly. These chemicals could cause lung cancer or lung disease. Alternatively, if you are one of the lucky ones that don't get lung disease or cancer you just might various types of breathing problems.

What can I do to be safe while am at work?

When at work and you want to stay safe. You have options when it comes to workplace. You can play it smart and ask your supervisor if a mask is available. A caring supervisor will have one ready for you. If your supervisor does not offer you a mask, then you take it in your hands, go to your local drug store, and buy one for your own safety. In addition, make sure you wear the mask, it will help you in the end, since you will be better off than if you do not wear it.

What kind of mental problems can a job cause?

All jobs come with stress we have no control over. However, you can learn to control the stress that is put on you if you let stress control you that is bad for you. Stress will take control if you let it. We all have deadlines to meet as well as making sure we are doing our job the right way. Stress if out of control however can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, or even a stroke. Just remember you have all the control to handle the stress or to let it handle you. If you learn to handle stress and wear mask you will live a healthier life so play it safe.