Deaf

Deafness, hard of hearing, and hearing impairment

There are nearly 9 million people with a hearing loss in the UK, many of whom are either not aware of their hearing loss or try to conceal or hide it. Hearing can be lost in several different ways and to varying degrees:

• Some people are deaf from birth.
• Some people gradually lose their hearing as they get older.
• Others lose their hearing suddenly through illness or accident.

The majority of people who have a hearing loss are older people, who usually notice a gradual age-related reduction and the increasing inability to hear high-pitched sounds. You may not notice this for some time. Both age-related hearing loss and hearing loss due to excessive noise exposure can be gradual, whereas hearing loss that is caused by illness or accident can have a quicker onset.

Hearing loss can affect an individual at any age. Everybody today is exposed to an increased level of noise, partly through environmental factors and partly through loud music, and the number of people losing their hearing in their thirties and forties is increasing. We always advise people to protect their hearing when they are in an environment where the noise level is excessive.

coHearentVision aims to provide information and advice for people living in Leeds on how you can help yourself by managing your hearing loss in every day life. Remember you are not alone!

For interpreting Services please See Business Services or click on this link

This page was created on: October 15, 2009 and last modified on February 24th, 2010 at 16:34.