Easy, Practical Ways Seniors Can Limit Hearing-Loss

By Evan H. Farr, Certified Elder Law Attorney

The Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, PC

. http://www.farrlawfirm.com/

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Easy, Practical Ways Seniors Can Limit Hearing-Loss

Are you one of the millions of Americans who strongly believes in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)? While it is extremely important to regularly visit your internist, a growing number of Americans trust a CAM practitioner as their “primary doctor.”

Gradually, Americans are learning to trust themselves more. There are also many practical steps you can take to avoid medical complications. Today's focus hearing loss prevention.

Whether a person is 10 years old, 40, 60 or older, it's not too soon, or too late, to protect hearing, one of the vital five senses. While it's no secret that as we age our hearing sense declines, there are proactive steps we can all take no matter our age. As we age, our hearing sense does decline naturally. That being said, here are some easy ways to preserve and protect our ear drums

Give yourself some quiet time. Whether you're working with loud equipment, listening to music or watching TV, turn off the noise and have a few minutes of quiet time.

Check your headset. You may be so used to listening to a damaging high volume that you may not realize it. High volume can cause permanent hearing damage. Turn it down if you can't hear people speaking to you. Never turn volume up to block out noisy surroundings.

Spend less time in loud environments. Whether it's a construction zone, a party with loud music, or a stock car race track, the longer you stay, the harder it is on your hearing. Any time you have to shout to be heard, it's too loud. Avoid loud music in the car.

Wear hearing protection. When you know an event will be loud, wear foam, silicone or pre-molded earplugs. They are all effective because they must have a noise reduction minimum of nine decibels. Wear them while using the garden tractor, chain saw, air compressor or any loud equipment.

Unfortunately, many aging adults and family members are unaware that proper Medicaid planning may be necessary to ensure the standard of living does not dramatically change before death.

Proper planning can ensure access to basic services, like obtaining hearing aids, for someone receiving long-term care benefits through Medicaid. Such benefits are not available, so it is up to the family and aging individual to make the proper plans ahead of time.