Hearing impairments can range from mild to profound. Some people are able to hear certain frequencies but not others; others find it difficult to distinguish between different sound levels or to work out where the sound is coming from.
Follow the links below to find information about hearing impariments.
Information about hearing impairments, programs and policies can also be found at the Office of Hearing Services [Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing]
Reviewed October 2011
Related HealthInsite Topics
Deafness
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about deafness.
Hearing Aids
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information on hearing aids.
Hearing Impairments in Children
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about hearing impairments in children.
Hearing Services
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about services for people with hearing impairments.
Tinnitus
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about tinnitus.
26 Resources Found
| Title: |
Hearing tests explained
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| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
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| Description: |
Hearing tests check a person's ability to hear the loudness and pitch of sounds. The results are charted on a graph (audiogram) to help pinpoint the severity and causes of hearing problems. Special tests are available to test hearing in babies and children. A doctor, audiologist or ear, nose and throat specialist can provide more information about hearing loss and hearing tests. |
| Date: |
Dec 2011 |
| Title: |
Sign language - Auslan
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| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
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| Description: |
Auslan is a sign language developed by Australian Deaf people to communicate with each other. It is a visual form of manual communication that combines hand shapes, facial expressions, gestures and movement of hands, arms or body to express the complexity and nuances of spoken language. There is no one universal sign language. |
| Date: |
Aug 2011 |
| Title: |
Hearing and music
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| Publisher: |
Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia)
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| Description: |
This topic explores how you can protect your ears against loud noise so that you can go on enjoying music for many years to come. |
| Date: |
Jan 2012 |
| Title: |
Hearing and music
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| Publisher: |
Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia)
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| Description: |
This topic aims to get you thinking about how loud music might be affecting your hearing, and how you can protect your ears against loud noise so that you can go on enjoying music. |
| Date: |
Jan 2012 |
| Title: |
Hearing loss - lipreading
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| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
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| Description: |
Lipreading or speechreading can help people who have lost part or all of their hearing to understand conversations going on around them. People use clues such as facial expressions and gestures, as well as lip movements, to interpret what people are saying. When speaking to a hearing impaired person, it is important that you face them, speak clearly and naturally, and don't cover your mouth. |
| Date: |
Jul 2011 |
| Title: |
Hearing loss - how it affects people
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| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
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| Description: |
Hearing loss affects people of all ages, but the problem is more common among the elderly. More young people are experiencing hearing loss. Reduced hearing affects a person in many ways, including their education and job opportunities, social life and confidence. |
| Date: |
Jul 2011 |
| Title: |
Hearing loss - what to tell your colleagues
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| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
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| Description: |
Communication at work can be difficult if you have a hearing loss, especially if your colleagues don't know what to do. It's a good idea to tell people the best way to talk with you. If you suffer from tinnitus or Meniere's disease, let work colleagues know how this might affect you. |
| Date: |
Jul 2011 |
| Title: |
Hearing loss - workplace tips for managers
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| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
|
| Description: |
A person with hearing loss can be a productive employee, but workplaces may need to be adjusted. Other staff might need help to communicate with a colleague with hearing loss. Make sure the office is well-lit and always talk to a hearing-impaired person face to face. Professional advice is available from both government and community organisations. Flashing lights should be fitted to audible smoke or evacuation alarms. |
| Date: |
Jul 2011 |
| Title: |
Hearing loss - communicating at work
|
| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
|
| Description: |
Communicating with a hearing impaired colleague at work can be difficult, but it is possible. Tips include talking while in the person's line of vision, talking in a quiet location, maintaining eye contact and writing down questions and answers. Ask a person how to help if you are unsure. |
| Date: |
Jul 2011 |
| Title: |
Interventions to promote the wearing of hearing protection
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| Publisher: |
John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
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| Description: |
Hearing loss due to noise exposure in the workplace is one of the most common occupational diseases. The condition is permanent and there is no effective treatment. Where the source of the noise cannot be eliminated, however, hearing loss can be minimis... |
| Date: |
Apr 2011 |
| Title: |
Earwax - myDr.com.au
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| Publisher: |
myDr
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| Description: |
Wax in the ears is quite harmless and a normal part of the body's self-protection mechanism. |
| Date: |
Jun 2010 |
| Title: |
Brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP)
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| Publisher: |
Virtual Medical Centre.com
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| Description: |
A brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) is an evoked potential caused by a sound, usually a series of 'clicks'. Electrodes positioned on the scalp record responses to the sounds; these are then observed as a reading on an electroencephalogram (EEG). Responses to aural stimuli originate from relay structures within the brainstem. |
| Date: |
Jun 2010 |
| Title: |
Ears - ways to protect your hearing
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| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
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| Description: |
Causes of hearing loss or deafness include noise, trauma, certain drugs and diseases. Injuries including a perforated eardrum or head injury can also cause hearing loss. Hearing loss often cannot be reversed. |
| Date: |
Dec 2011 |
| Title: |
Hearing problems - reduced tolerance to sound
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| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
|
| Description: |
Noise can cause discomfort, pain or distress to some people. A reduced tolerance of noise can be associated with tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears). Sounds may also be distorted in tone and loud noises can cause a 'popping' sensation inside the ear. Damage to the inner ear from ageing or exposure to loud noise is the most common cause. It is not possible to repair the inner ear but the condition can be managed. |
| Date: |
Mar 2010 |
| Title: |
Hearing loss - auditory neuropathy
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| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
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| Description: |
Auditory neuropathy is a type of hearing loss that is caused by an abnormality in the transmission of nerve impulses travelling from the inner ear to the brain. Both ears are usually affected. There is no cure, but hearing aids and cochlear implants may help improve hearing. |
| Date: |
Mar 2010 |
| Title: |
Ear care - quiz
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| Publisher: |
Better Health Channel
|
| Description: |
How can you maintain healthy ears and protect your hearing? Test your knowledge with our quick health quiz. |
| Date: |
Feb 2010 |
| Title: |
Steroids for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss
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| Publisher: |
John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
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| Description: |
A sudden onset of hearing loss due to disease of the organ of hearing is a medical emergency and requires prompt recognition and treatment. In addition to the hearing impairment, patients may also suffer from symptoms of tinnitus (background ringing noi... |
| Date: |
Jul 2009 |
| Title: |
Interventions to prevent occupational noise induced hearing loss
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| Publisher: |
John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
|
| Description: |
Millions of workers are exposed to noise levels that increase the risk of hearing loss and hearing impairment. In many countries there are mandatory hearing loss prevention programmes (HLPPs), which are considered an effective means to prevent noise ind... |
| Date: |
Mar 2009 |
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