June 18, 2019

Hearing loss

Topic: Education

By Professional Hearing Services (save 10% as an NDFB member)

Over one-third of farmers in the U.S. have hearing loss. And, according to research from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 75 percent of farmers experience mild to severe hearing loss later in life.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have ranked farming amongst the top three occupations and industries with the highest risk for hearing loss. Farmers are at risk from both tools/machinery and environmental noise (a pig squeal is 130 dB).

Here are five reasons to make hearing health a priority.

1. Mental Health

Hearing loss can lead to high levels of stress in your life, which can ultimately deteriorate your health and overall quality of life. Studies have shown that people with untreated hearing loss suffer fatigue, depression as well as higher levels of anxiety, social isolation, and withdrawal.

2. Social Interaction

Hearing loss has not only been known to diminish an individual’s quality of life, but it can also lead you to feel isolated in social settings such as dinners, parties or family gatherings. Do you ever “smile and nod” and pretend you can hear?

3. Creating Balance

It takes a large amount of energy and mental concentration to hear all day with a less than perfect auditory system. This extra load on our cognitive system is responsible for increased fatigue and irritability among those with untreated hearing loss but is also linked to an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline.

4. Personal Safety

Untreated hearing loss puts your personal safety, as well as the safety of those around you, at risk.

5. Future Hearing Ability

Regular hearing checks lead to early detection and treatment of hearing loss, which is the best way to lower your risk of developing any of the many negative effects of hearing loss. Moreover, it has been shown that hearing aids can help to slow down cognitive decline and its effects on increasing further hearing difficulty.

Remember, as an NDFB member, you will receive a 10% discount on services and products. Professional Hearing Services has three main offices: Minot, Williston and Bismarck. (The Bismarck PHS office is located in the NDFB building.)