Hearing loss is a problem shared by many people. In fact, it’s one of the most common health conditions, particularly as people age. Most people over age 65 have some hearing loss. By age 80, almost everyone does. Because hearing loss usually occurs slowly, you may not realize you’ve lost some hearing ability.

Contact your health care provider if you:

• Have to strain to hear normal conversation
• Have to watch other people’s faces very carefully to follow what they’re saying
• Need to ask people to repeat what they’ve said
• Often misunderstand what people are saying
• Turn the volume of the television or radio up so high that others complain
• Feel that people are mumbling when they’re talking to you
• Find that the effort to hear leaves you feeling tired and irritated
• Notice, when using the phone, that you hear better with one ear than the other