I recently discovered this article, and it is so problematic.
Trigger warning: audism, phonocentrism, ableism
A little bit of background information: The author of this article is vice president of audiology for Starkey Hearing Technologies, a company that makes hearing aids. That will be important to understand this article.
First, let’s talk the title.
- “hearing loss?” Some people feel that they lost their hearing, others don’t. But why is it up to hearing people to decide that lack of hearing automatically means “hearing loss?”
- “confront?” Umm… this seems to imply that “hearing loss” is wrong. That the opposite doesn’t need to be confronted.
From this point on, I will be replacing the term with “not being hearing” and bolding any instances in quotes I will provide. If something is underlined with a bolded thing, I have changed the sentence. If something is underlined without a bolded thing, I did that to make it clear why I did not modify the sentence.
Next, let’s look at the subtitle.
Scientists link not being hearing to decreased cognition, depression and learning disorders, but CDC doesn’t give it attention it deserves.
So, not being hearing automatically means “decreased cognition?” It automatically means depression? It automatically means learning disorders?
I don’t think so. The reason is audism-phonocentrism-ableism-linguicism.
And what kind of attention does not being hearing deserve? Normalization, I presume.
Now onto the article content.
The United States is approaching a tipping point in terms of how not being hearing is treated under current policy. In recent years, science has discovered an increasingly pronounced association between a decline in cognition and not being hearing, yet this is not regarded with the same urgency as many other conditions.
The most recent evidence comes from a new French study that tracked 3,670 patients over the age of 65 for 25 years, comparing decreases in cognition among people with normal hearing and those with self-reported hearing loss; some used hearing aids while others did not.
The results, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, show that self-reported hearing loss is “significantly associated,” with cognitive decline over time compared with those who did not report hearing loss. Researchers also noticed that, “subjects with hearing loss using a hearing aid had no difference in cognitive decline.”
Why is a “decline in cognition” associated with not being hearing? This article does not explain. Also, it is unsurprising that hearing aids do not help with a “decline in cognition.” The reason is already clear.
By the way, I don’t trust the claims around cognition, which is why I’ve quoted them and will continue to do so.
This study supports earlier research on the connection between hearing loss, and cognition and mental health, yet policy makers remain slow to acknowledge the problem. An estimated 48 million Americans suffer some level of hearing loss yet the Centers for Disease Control doesn’t even include hearing in its disability surveys.
OK, so let’s just pause here and summarize my points so far:
- This article continuously claims that not being hearing leads to a “decline in cognition,” but does not say why.
- This article does not consider societal structure as the cause of the problems that non-hearing people go through everyday.
- In older people, merely giving them hearing aids does not help them with their problems, including “decline in cognition.” Why? Societal structure.
Let’s look at the earlier research now before continuing.
First paragraph:
There is no treatment for non-hearing adults despite evidence that hearing aid technology can significantly lessen depression and anxiety and improve cognitive functioning, according to a presentation at the American Psychological Association’s 123rd Annual Convention.
But why do hearing aids “improve cognitive functioning” and significantly lessen depression and anxiety?
Second paragraph:
“Many hard of hearing people battle silently with their invisible hearing difficulties, straining to stay connected to the world around them, reluctant to seek help,” said David Myers, PhD, a psychology professor and textbook writer at Hope College in Michigan who lives with hearing loss.
Again, why do hard of hearing people feel those ways?
Third paragraph:
In a National Council on Aging study of 2,304 people with hearing loss, those who didn’t wear hearing aids were 50 percent more likely to suffer from sadness or depression than people who did wear them, he said. Additionally, hearing aid users were much more likely to participate in social activities regularly.
The answer to the previous two questions: ableism and phonocentrism.
Fourth paragraph:
Although a genetic condition caused him to start losing his hearing as a teenager, Myers did not get hearing aids until he was in his 40s. Like many hard of hearing people, he resisted hearing technology. People wait an average of six years from the first signs of hearing loss before getting treatment, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and adults with hearing loss between the ages of 20 and 69 are half as likely as adults 70 or older to use hearing aids, Myers said. Besides denial, vanity and less awareness of how much they are missing are some reasons for the delay, he added.
And the delay also comes from the fact that this society is phonocentric.
Fifth paragraph:
“Anger, frustration, depression and anxiety are all common among people who find themselves hard of hearing,” Myers said. “Getting people to use the latest in hearing aid technology can help them regain control of their life and achieve emotional stability and even better cognitive functioning.”
The loss of control of their lives, their loss of emotional stability and their “inadequate cognitive functioning” all come from where? Ableism and phonocentrism.
Sixth paragraph:
Myers cited another study published in the Archives of Neurology that found hearing loss could also be a risk factor for dementia. Scientists who conducted the study said years of sensory loss leaves people more susceptible to dementia. Additionally, the social isolation common among the hard of hearing is another known risk factor for dementia and other cognitive disorders, he said.
But surely, becoming non-hearing is not the only reason that someone might experience dementia? I get that it says risk factor, but still.
And ah-ha! Social isolation common among the hard of hearing is because of what? Ableism and phonocentrism.
Seventh and eighth paragraphs, and last sentence:
A technology known as a hearing loop could also help those with hearing loss become more social and involved, said Myers. Like Wi-Fi for hearing aids, the technology uses an inductive loop to transmit sound signals directly into an in-ear hearing aid or cochlear implant, where it is received by an inductive device called a telecoil. Efforts over the last dozen years to have hearing loops installed in public places around the U.S. have gained momentum in recent years with new American manufacturers stepping up to design and market hearing loop amplifiers for a wide variety of installations, from home TV rooms and taxis to auditoriums and airports.
The loop system, which enables hearing aids to serve as wireless speakers, is popular in Great Britain and Scandinavia but less widespread in the U.S. Proponents of the system say it works especially well in public spaces with background noise or reverberant sound, such as train stations and places of worship. Myers’ hearing loop advocacy has contributed to more than 500 hearing loop installations in Michigan. He has also supported Hearing Loss Association of America efforts to advocate hundreds of installations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, New Mexico, Utah, Washington state and even in New York City taxicabs, as well as the chambers of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Supreme Court.
“Making public spaces directly hearing aid accessible is psychologically important for people with hearing loss,” Myers said.
But surely hearing interventions and sound based modifications of the built environment aren’t the only psychologically important things?
Let’s summarize the problem with the research that was linked to: Non-hearing people experience depression, anxiety and inadequate cognitive functioning because of ableism, audism and phonocentrism, not because they do or don’t have hearing aids.
OK, so back to the article which this post is about.
An estimated 48 million Americans suffer some level of hearing loss yet the Centers for Disease Control doesn’t even include hearing in its disability surveys.
CDC disability surveys are critically important because they identify the prevalence of a wide range of health risks, which guides public policy on how they can be addressed. These surveys track disabilities related to vision, cognition, mobility, the ability to engage in activities of daily life (like getting dressed or taking a bath), but not hearing loss.
A few things…
- How is being not hearing a “health risk” in and of itself?
- What is meant by addressing the medical condition of hearing loss?
All of this affects how society views hearing loss. One scientific study concluded that the stigma attached to hearing loss is so great that it suggests, “the need to destigmatize hearing loss by promoting its assessment and treatment.” How do we promote the “assessment and treatment” of hearing loss when our current policy creates obstacles for both?
So, promoting the assessment and treatment of the medical condition of hearing loss will center non-hearing people in society and end audism and phonocentrism?
The impact of hearing loss goes beyond not being able to hear the dialogue in a movie or asking someone to repeat themselves. It has serious consequences related to mental health, education, income disparity and general well-being, all of which exact a cost to society. The economic impact is significant, with one estimate concluding, “the lifetime costs for all people with hearing loss who were born in 2000 will total $2.1 billion.”
But surely being non-hearing in and of itself does not cause those serious consequences. Rather, it is audism, phonocentrism and ableism which cause these consequences.
We can no longer ignore the growing bulk of evidence that untreated hearing loss is a serious public health issue. It has been consistently linked to depression and other mental health problems, lower income for working adults and developmental and learning problems for children, yet the government’s premiere public health service doesn’t even track its prevalence.
Non-treatment of the medical condition of hearing loss is a serious public health issue, really? Surely, audism, phonocentrism and ableism are serious public health issues.
The United States needs to pull its head out of the sand and recognize the damage caused by hearing loss. Through dedicated statistical study and increased awareness, we can reduce the deleterious effects of hearing loss. More importantly, we can improve the lives of tens of millions of Americans.
Governments need to pull their heads out of the sand and recognize the damage caused by audism, phonocentrism and ableism. Through a reconfiguration of society to center all non-hearing people, we can eliminate audism, phonocentrism and ableism and improve the lives of many people on Earth.