Loud and Clear HEARING LOSS AND ITS IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE

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1 Loud and Clear HEARING LOSS AND ITS IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE 1

Executive Summary Giuseppe Manzo 90% of people with untreated hearing loss say the condition has damaged their social life 2 Good hearing is something that most of us take for granted.

7 million people in the UK living with untreated hearing loss, it s a reality, and one which can have a huge impact on their lives.

It can also impact on our physical and mental health, by leading us to adopt less active lifestyles and reducing social interaction, which can result in anxiety and depression and may accelerate the

2 Executive Summary Giuseppe Manzo 90% of people with untreated hearing loss say the condition has damaged their social life 2 Good hearing is something that most of us take for granted. But imagine missing out on conversations, jokes in the pub, key points of a business meeting or even the birds singing in the morning. For many of the 6.7 million people in the UK living with untreated hearing loss, it s a reality, and one which can have a huge impact on their lives. Living with untreated hearing loss can affect relationships with family and friends, the type of social lives we lead and even harm our career prospects. It can also impact on our physical and mental health, by leading us to adopt less active lifestyles and reducing social interaction, which can result in anxiety and depression and may accelerate the onset of cognitive decline or dementia. It s estimated that more than 40% of over 50 years-olds in the UK are affected by hearing loss, a figure that s set to grow as the population ages.* As a global hearing specialist, Amplifon wanted to find out more about how untreated hearing loss affects people s lives, and we asked more than 2,000 of our customers to help us by taking part in an online survey about their experiences. We shared our findings with Julian Treasure, a leading sound and communication expert who specialises in helping businesses design soundscapes that transform people s health, productivity and relationships. Together we have created five recommendations which we believe will help make the UK a better place for people with hearing loss. Giuseppe Manzo, General Manager for Amplifon UK & Eire. * Information from Action on Hearing Loss Hearing Matters report,

Key Findings FAMILY LIFE Almost half of respondents (49%) said their partner and family made a joke of their hearing loss.

More than a third (39%) reported becoming withdrawn or feeling isolated in certain situations.

SOCIAL LIFE 90% 90% of respondents said untreated hearing loss had a detrimental impact on their social life.

3 Key Findings FAMILY LIFE Almost half of respondents (49%) said their partner and family made a joke of their hearing loss. More than 50% reported that their family had become frustrated by the problem. 60% said they struggled to communicate with family and friends because of hearing loss. More than a third (39%) reported becoming withdrawn or feeling isolated in certain situations. 49% RELATIONSHIPS 24% Almost a quarter (24%) of respondents said their relationships with partners had suffered or broken down as a result of untreated hearing loss. SOCIAL LIFE 90% 90% of respondents said untreated hearing loss had a detrimental impact on their social life. The majority of respondents reported difficulties in hearing in pubs, restaurants and bars and constantly felt that they were missing out when a joke was told. MENTAL WELLBEING 33% One third (33%) of those with untreated hearing loss reported an increased sense of anxiety or isolation. 1 in 5 (20%) also stated that their hearing loss had led to feelings of loneliness, stress and depression. 40% say hearing loss reduced their self esteem. WORKING LIFE 37% 37% said hearing loss had a negative impact on their ability to do their job. LENGTH OF TIME TO SEEK HELP 81% 81% said they d waited more than a year before seeking professional help for hearing loss and a quarter said they d put off addressing their hearing problems for 5 years or more. 4 5

4 The Survey The Loud and Clear report is based on the findings of a survey of over 2,000 Amplifon customers. The aim was to learn more about how untreated hearing loss impacts on people s social, personal and working lives and their ability to enjoy life. Who took part? All of the participants involved have experienced hearing loss and been treated by Amplifon for the condition. The greatest number of respondents came from the South East (22 per cent), followed by the South West (15 per cent) and the Midlands (15 per cent). 64% who took part were men 82% were aged over 55 20% of those who took part were aged between years old Which of the following symptoms associated with hearing loss did you first start to notice? Muffling of speech and other sounds Difficulty understanding words, especially against background noise Trouble hearing consonants S and F and TH Frequently asking others to speak more slowly, loudly or clearly Needing to turn up the sound on the TV or radio Withdrawal from conversation Avoiding some social settings Difficulty understanding speakers at meetings, church or theatre How long did you suffer with hearing loss before seeking professional help? 8% 11% 27% 29% 12% 13% 51% 82% 28% 49% 75% 40% 29% 52% Other people noticed my hearing loss before I did. I didn t really think I had a problem until my husband and my daughter said something to me one day. I d often ask them to repeat themselves and I d always have the TV turned up loud. Then I started putting two and two together. Sue Taylor, Amplifon Customer 0-6 months 6-12 months 1-2 years 2-5 years 5-10 years More than 10 years 6 7

banter! 81% 90% I stopped going out 18% It had no effect on my social life 36% How did hearing loss affect you in the workplace?

5 The Survey What impact did hearing loss have on your social life? It led to me declining invites to social events 12% It led to me being excluded from social conversations 34% I had difficulties hearing in pubs and restaurants I missed out on jokes and friendly banter! 81% 90% I stopped going out 18% It had no effect on my social life 36% How did hearing loss affect you in the workplace? 37% 56% 13% 24% 28% 41% It affected my ability to do my job I had difficulty hearing in meetings It led to me missing out on promotions It negatively affected my relationships with colleagues It led to me being excluded from conversations It had no effect on my work or career aspirations If I was in a pub or a business meeting with friends or colleagues I d find it difficult to focus on conversations. I was asking people to repeat things and consciously turning my head so I had my slightly better ear facing them. Sometimes I was guessing at what they said and just hoping I gave them the right answer. Deryck Highet, Amplifon Customer I was missing what was said in work meetings, which meant that I d struggle to take down the minutes. I often work on reception, which means I m talking to visitors from behind a glass screen. Sometimes I couldn t catch what they were saying when they gave their name, which made it very difficult for them to talk to me. Hilary Eccleston, Amplifon Customer 8 9

6 The Survey How did your partner/family cope with your hearing loss? They were very supportive 77% They made a joke of it 49% They became frustrated with me 51% They found it difficult to talk about 14% They encouraged me to seek help 73% It created a barrier between us 14% What impact did hearing loss have on your mental well-being? What was the biggest impact of not being able to hear well? It affected my work It adversely affected my social life It affected my enjoyment of music It affected my enjoyment of theatre It affected my enjoyment of films It affected my personal relationships with family and friends It affected my enjoyment of key family celebrations It affected my self esteem No impact 33% 22% 40% 29% 39% 13% I felt isolated I felt lonely It made me feel anxious 27% 25% 20% 51% 57% 23% 40% 31% 36% I suffered from stress 17% 39% 7% 24% I felt depressed 60% 53% I became withdrawn from society 53% 38% How did hearing loss affect your personal relationships with family and friends? I became withdrawn and felt isolated in certain situations I found it harder to communicate with family and friends I had trouble hearing young children I found it harder to make new friends It led to a breakdown in a relationship It had an adversly effect on my marriage/relationship with my partner To be honest we were borderline for the divorce courts because we were bickering all the time. Every time I spoke to John I had to repeat myself and after a while it gets a bit wearing. You start wondering whether it s because he can t hear you, or because he has selective hearing! I once told him, I am going to buy a parrot so it can sit on my shoulder and every time you say, pardon or what, or eh? the parrot can repeat what I ve said. John Swainston, Amplifon Customer 10 11

How common is hearing loss? Nearly 11 million people in the UK have some form of hearing loss. That s one in six of the population. And that figure is expected to rise to 15.

Hearing loss is more prevalent in the older generation, with more than half of those aged 60-plus having some form of hearing loss.

7 How common is hearing loss? Nearly 11 million people in the UK have some form of hearing loss. That s one in six of the population. And that figure is expected to rise to 15.6 million or one in five of the population over the next two decades, according to Action On Hearing Loss. What steps can you take to protect yourself? Hearing loss is more prevalent in the older generation, with more than half of those aged 60-plus having some form of hearing loss. But, remarkably, only one in three people who could benefit from hearing aids actually have them. There are two main types of hearing loss, conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound waves cannot reach the inner ear. Some of the causes include: A build-up of earwax in the outer ear stopping sound getting to the ear drum Ear infection or inflammation in the outer or middle ear A build-up of fluid in the middle ear (Glue ear) Perforated eardrum A foreign body Abnormal bone growth in the middle ear (otosclerosis) Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common form of hearing loss and occurs when the tiny hair cells in the inner ear are damaged or hearing pathways to the inner ear become damaged. It can be caused by a wide range of conditions, but most commonly by the natural ageing process, and affects 1 in 7 people over the age of 65*. Some of the causes are: Age gradual deterioration in hearing across both ears in high pitched sounds Traumatic exposure to loud noise this could be permanent or temporary and may be a result of sudden very loud sound or repeated exposure to high level sounds Head injury this can cause trauma to the cochlea and nerves in the ear Viral infections of the inner ear and auditory nerve Some drug treatments Family history Top 10 signs of hearing loss You may have hearing loss if you experience one or more of the following signs: You frequently have to ask people to repeat what they have said You miss jokes because you didn t hear all of what was being said You understand more of what is being said if you are looking at the person speaking to you Friends and family have noticed you have the TV or radio volume turned up too high You can t hear clearly with lots of background noise e.g. in noisy places like a busy restaurant or pub You feel left out of conversations You don t hear the doorbell or telephone You have difficulty hearing children s voices You have a history of exposure to loud noise (e.g. working in the construction industry) You have difficulty hearing clearly in public spaces like theatre, cinemas and theatres 1. Know your employment rights If you work in an environment where the noise level regularly reaches 80 decibels (db) or more, your employer is legally obliged to protect your hearing under the Noise at Work regulations. Jobs where people can regularly be exposed to noise levels above 80 decibels include tube drivers, chefs and gardeners.* Know your rights and make sure your employer sticks to the rules. 2. Turn the music down You don t have to be stood next to the speakers at a rock concert to seriously damage your hearing. Listening to an MP3 player can be just as harmful. Exposure to any sound at a high volume (more than 89dB) for more than five hours a week can damage hearing permanently over time. Reduce the risk by reducing the volume. 3. Recognise the changes in your hearing Exposure to loud noises and the natural ageing process can both lead to changes in your hearing. It s not always easy to recognise the symptoms of hearing loss or what type of loss you may have. If you ve noticed changes in your hearing, take an online hearing test at If you re still concerned about your hearing, seek professional advice. An appointment with an Amplifon Audiologist takes approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. This involves discussing your hearing history, completing a lifestyle questionnaire, an ear examination and a mixture of speech and audiometric tests to fully understand your hearing needs. *Information from Hearing *GfK Eurisko and Amplifon, Coping With Noise research paper 12 13

Designing for the senses According to the World Health Organisation, excess noise is one of the most common occupational hazards. Its most serious effect is irreversible hearing impairment.

Julian Treasure, Chairman of The Sound Agency, spoke to Amplifon about the need for architects and designers to give greater consideration to sound when designing new spaces.

8 Designing for the senses According to the World Health Organisation, excess noise is one of the most common occupational hazards. Its most serious effect is irreversible hearing impairment. About 16% of adult-onset hearing loss worldwide can be attributed to occupational noise exposure, which is completely preventable. Julian Treasure, Chairman of The Sound Agency, spoke to Amplifon about the need for architects and designers to give greater consideration to sound when designing new spaces. Improving quality of life for people with hearing loss Our survey uncovered some surprising results about hearing loss and how our closest relationships, work, social lives and our mental health can be affected if the condition is left untreated. It s estimated the number of people in the UK who suffer from hearing loss will rise to 15.6 million in the next 20 years. That s 1 in 5 of the population.* But they don t have to miss a minute of the conversation. 14 Q: How does the design of the environments we live and work in impact on our hearing? A: We experience the world in five senses, yet we ve become almost entirely driven by the visual, so our designers and architects are focused on the way things look, and rarely consider how they sound. As a result millions of us live, work and socialise in environments which are entirely unfit for purpose. And for people with hearing loss the impact of poor design is even greater. Many of us work in open plan offices, where incessant background noise makes it impossible to concentrate. In fact, research shows that open plan office noise can reduce productivity by a staggering 66%. Our children leave school having struggled to hear their teachers because so many classrooms have poor acoustics. We also have a healthcare system where many of us are staying in hospital far longer than we need to because sleep is virtually impossible. The latest surveys show noise levels in our hospitals are 12 times the recommended maximum. Q: What about the design of social spaces? A: We go shopping in environments which bombard us with a cacophony of noise. Many shopping malls generate 70 decibels or more. And how often do you come home from a restaurant with a sore throat and a sore head, having spent the evening bellowing at your dinner companion from a foot away in 90 decibels of noise? This multi-track, multi-channel world creates a cocktail of sound, and it s doubly difficult for people who have a hearing impairment to function in such environments. Hotel lobbies are another trouble spot. Typically they have terrible acoustics and often pump out music. People tend to want to do two things in a hotel lobby - to work or to chat but the spaces often aren t designed to function well from a sound perspective. Q: What can architects and designers do to help those who have hearing loss? A: If we want spaces that truly are fit for purpose then architects and designers have to design with their ears as well as their eyes, and understand the environments they create must work for all the senses. It s about listening to places and asking: is this fit for purpose and can people actually do what they want to do here? Noise induced hearing loss is set to become a major issue in the next 10 to 15 years, not just for people who ve worked in noisy environments all of their lives, but also for young people who ve grown up listening to music through poor quality headphones. So the pressure on designers to give more consideration to sound will only intensify. Architects and designers therefore have a duty to make sure the environments they re creating are going to be fit for purpose and suitable for what people want to do in them in the future. *Julian Treasure is founder and chairman of The Sound Agency, a UK-based consultancy that specialises in creating effective and appropriate organic soundscapes for branded spaces. He is also a top-rated international speaker and his five TED talks on various aspects of sound and communication have been viewed an estimated 50 million times. His latest talk, How to speak so that people want to listen, is in the rare group that has over 17 million views onted.com alone, putting it in the top 10 TED talks of all time. More information is available at juliantreasure.com and thesoundagency.com That s why Amplifon is calling on everyone to work together to improve the lives of millions of people with hearing problems. These are our four steps to better hearing for the UK. 1. Treat your ears like your eyes or teeth get them checked regularly! There s no excuse for not keeping your hearing health up to date. Hearing tests are usually free and early detection and treatment can help you avoid the negative effects of untreated hearing loss, making sure you stay at the heart of the conversation. 3. Hearing loop systems Hearing loop systems enable people with hearing loss to be more socially involved and reduce the stress of being in public places such as banks, post offices and supermarkets. They could be automatically included in the design of any public buildings. 2. Environments that help hearing, not hinder it Architects and designers can prioritise sound in the spaces they create, replacing hard, sound reflecting surfaces which make hearing difficult with carpets, curtains and acoustic tiling which help limit reverberation effects. 4. Create greater understanding of hearing loss and its impact Many of us are unaware how every day activities such as listening to music through headphones can damage our hearing. What s even less well known is the impact hearing loss can have on our mental health, self-esteem and relationships with others. We encourage everyone to learn more about how they can protect themselves, and to find out about the health conditions associated with hearing loss. *Figures from Action on Hearing Loss 15

9 With over 65 years experience and a network of approximately 3,500 points of sale, 3,500 service centres and 1,700 affiliates in 22 countries, Amplifon is a global hearing health specialist. Our UK and Ireland network of 134 branches offers tailored hearing care delivered by professionally qualified hearing aid audiologists, regulated by the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). 16 With more than 5,500 hearing care professionals, we are committed to delivering the highest quality of service and care, in order to achieve the best hearing experience for customers worldwide. More information is available at:

Hearing Loss. Understanding hearing loss, its effects and available solutions.

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