Over 172,000 People in Suffolk Will Have Hearing Loss by 2031

This week you may have seen on BBC News and local radio, a new report that suggests one in five of the population will have a hearing loss by 2031.

The study was commissioned by the International Longevity Centre, and if we look at the figures at a more local level, this will account for more than 172,000 in Suffolk alone.

Currently the figure stands at one in six, however with an ever-growing population, currently 8.7% over ten years here in Suffolk, this is set to dramatically rise.

The number of people with hearing loss has been on the increase for many years now. It was one in seven, now it’s one in six and before long it will be one in five. As age increases to 75-85 that figure becomes one in three!

For me the problem isn’t the rise in the number of people with hearing loss, but more that people wait too long to have their hearing checked. Unlike with sight or teeth checks, it takes people around 10 years to book a hearing test! That’s 10 years of not being able to hear your family properly, struggling in group social situations, hearing music or not hearing the birds sing.

This report builds on the evidence that highlights the profound individual, family and societal consequences of hearing loss. We know hearing loss compounds social isolation and loneliness, particularly for older people and can act as a barrier for socialising with family and friends, employment and other recreational activities.

If you or a loved one are struggling to hear, I urge you to book a hearing test. Help can be provided privately or on the NHS by way of hearing aids, which nowadays are so small and discreet that nobody need know you are wearing them.

For more general information on hearing loss visit www.hearingcarecentre.co.uk or www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk