“What is the best way to treat hearing loss due to age?”

I would recommend that your father see an Audiologist to receive a comprehensive hearing evaluation and communication needs assessment. Depending on the results of his hearing evaluation, hearing aids will likely be recommended. 

Angela R. Sieh Ceretto, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA

Has he been evaluated? It could be something as simple as impacted ear wax. If he indeed has hearing loss, get him hearing aids as soon as possible. It is important to provide stimulation to the hearing area of the brain.

Unfortunately, there is no way to “prevent” the natural progression of hearing loss. Most adults will start seeing progressive changes after age 55 or so. Just have your dad see an audiologist for a good examination and go from there!

We often associate hearing loss with aging, but there could be something causing his hearing to decline more rapidly than other people. Generally hearing loss is gradual. I would recommend scheduling a hearing test with an audiologist to see what his current hearing looks like and then monitoring it by checking periodically to see if it’s stable. If he has hearing loss that can be treated with hearing aids or another medical procedure, it is best not to wait as the auditory nerve can become weak over time. Sometimes people don’t realize how much speech clarity or volume they are missing. A Stand alone private Audiologist Often has more time to help counsel regarding the test results and recommendations. A lot of insurance programs are now including a benefit for amplification. It would also be good to have a family member or friend accompany him to the appointment.

That depends on what is causing the hearing problem. There are a few health conditions (things like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, stroke) and medications (chemotherapy drugs, some diuretics, aspirin) that can cause either temporary or progressive hearing problems, so he should see a physician to address any of those problems and get a referral to an audiologist or otolaryngologist. If it's determined that the hearing loss is idiopathic or just due to aging, hearing aids can help mitigate the effects of the hearing loss but will not slow its progress. You'll probably want to get hearing aids that are adaptable for more severe hearing losses, like receiver-in-canal (RIC) styles, so the speaker can be changed out for a more powerful one if his hearing continues to worsen.

Presbycusis or hearing loss due to aging is the most common cause of decreased hearing. Age related hearing loss cannot be corrected medically. I recommend your father be evaluated by a Board certified Audiologist. If the Audiologist feels your father would benefit from amplification he should be fitted with hearing devices on a trial basis. Your father can asses how the hearing aids helps him in his work ,home and social settings. Other family members should also have input as to the effectiveness of the hearing devices. Hearing Aids if fitted and programmed by an experienced Audiologist can greatly improve hearing capabilities.

Age related hearing loss is a common problem for older people. If he has not had a hearing test, that would be the first step. The next step would be to assess treatment options, which might include hearing devices. Hearing aids are a great help to people that have no medical treatment for hearing loss. In fact, studies have shown that people that have a hearing loss and treat it with hearing aids keep their abilities to understand speech longer than those that choose not to treat their hearing loss. So, to summarize, get a hearing test, and treat the hearing loss in an appropriate manner and keep good follow-up appointments with his audiologist for routine care and maintenance of the hearing aids.