Designing for the Life Span Segment 3
Designing for the Life Span Segment 3 
Previous Slide Next Slide Segment
Index Home First Slide Last Slide
[D]
Hearing...is our early warning system to keep us aware of danger in the environment . The gradual loss of the ability to perceive high frequency sounds (presbycusis) means that sounds merge together and are harder to differentiate.
Listen to the Audio (MP3, 402 KB) or read the transcript:
It is high frequency sound sensitivity that is altered or lost with age. This can be most disturbing as it alters perception of speech - deleting the sound of consonants. It becomes more difficult to pick out a specific conversation against background clatter as noises are mixed with the sounds of conversation.
Noisy restaurants, now the commonplace in American dining, may discourage older people as patrons. Amplitude hearing loss (sensitivity to the loudness of sound) also has a relationship to age, but it is now present throughout the lifespan. It is what most people commonly think of as hearing loss.
Only two decades ago, the hearing aid industry could only address amplitude hearing loss. Today, hearing aids can be tuned to specific frequency and amplitude losses and some devices allow the user to "dial in" their hearing using remote controls to adjust to environment.
Previous Slide Next Slide Segment
Index
Home First Slide Last Slide