The Silent Struggle: Hearing Loss and the Quest for Better Technology in Australia
John Bell, a cattle farmer from Goulburn, spent years accustomed to the roar of tractors, the whine of chainsaws, and the crack of a rifle. It wasn’t until he transitioned to an office job that he truly grasped the extent of his hearing loss. The subtle nuances of sound, like distinguishing between “15” and “50” in financial discussions, became a source of anxiety. “If you’re in a budgetary meeting, 15 or 50,000 can obviously lead to a red face somewhere along the line,” he reflects.
This gradual decline impacted more than just his professional life. The television volume crept higher, he missed crucial cues in exercise classes, and social engagements became a source of increasing withdrawal. Activities he once cherished, like theatre and live comedy, turned into frustrating experiences. “Invariably you miss a punchline, everyone’s laughing and you’re looking around thinking ‘What was that?’ And so it becomes blatantly obvious that you need to do something,” Bell explains.
Fortunately, Bell has found a solution in Audika’s Oticon Zeal in-ear hearing aids, a new technology launching across Australia. These aren’t your grandmother’s hearing aids. They boast a discreet design, leverage artificial intelligence to adapt to various sound environments, and effectively filter out unwanted noise. A significant upgrade is their rechargeable nature, eliminating the constant need to purchase and replace batteries. While other established brands like Starkey, Amplifon, and Widex also offer discreet in-ear options in the Australian market, the Oticon Zeal represents a step forward in user experience.
For the 68-year-old Bell, who is preparing to tackle the Kokoda Trail in April, the ability of these new devices to support his active lifestyle is paramount. “These will allow me to hear the discussion and banter from the group on the trail, whereas the older hearing aids that I had, the sweat gets into them and the cases crack when they get wet,” he states.
A Growing Concern: The Rising Tide of Hearing Loss
The statistics surrounding hearing loss are stark. Globally, approximately 430 million people currently live with disabling hearing loss, a figure projected to surge to 700 million by 2050. In Australia, the situation is equally concerning, with one in six individuals experiencing hearing loss. This number is even higher among Indigenous Australians and is expected to climb to one in four by 2050, largely driven by an ageing population.
Despite the widespread nature of the condition, a significant gap exists between those who could benefit from a hearing aid and those who actually use one. Only about one in five eligible individuals opt for a hearing aid, and even fewer, just one in ten, receive a cochlear implant.
Professor Bamini Gopinath, the Cochlear Chair in Hearing and Health at Macquarie University, points to a complex web of factors contributing to this slow adoption of hearing tests and assistive technologies. “Many people don’t realise, for example, that midlife hearing loss is one of the top modifiable risk factors for a dementia diagnosis in later life,” she notes. The stigma associated with hearing loss, and a general lack of awareness about its broader implications, are significant hurdles.
Beyond the cognitive risks, unaddressed hearing loss is linked to a cascade of negative outcomes, including social isolation, mental fatigue, reduced productivity in the workplace, and premature retirement.
The Cost Barrier and Government Support
Cost remains a substantial obstacle for many Australians seeking hearing solutions. Professor Gopinath highlights that hearing aids typically cost thousands of dollars before any subsidies are applied. While the Australian government does provide subsidised hearing services and devices for eligible individuals, including those under 26 and over 67, a significant portion of the population falls through the cracks. For instance, 15.6 per cent of non-Indigenous and 31.7 per cent of Indigenous Australians aged between 50 and 59 years are not covered by these subsidies.
In an effort to address these gaps, Professor Gopinath was part of a team that developed the first Australia and New Zealand Adult Cochlear Implant Living Guidelines. These evidence-based guidelines, adapted from international standards, aim to provide healthcare professionals, including GPs, audiologists, and ear, nose, and throat specialists, with clear direction. A key recommendation is the initiation of hearing screening at age 50 to improve early identification of hearing loss in adults and to “increase referral for cochlear implant evaluation.”
Tackling the Stigma: Technology and Shifting Perceptions
The persistent stigma surrounding hearing loss is a “million-dollar question,” according to Professor Gopinath. She questions why wearing glasses is often perceived as fashionable, while hearing aids can carry a negative connotation. “We’re trying to understand what it is about glasses that people think it’s cool to wear them [but not hearing aids],” she muses.
One prevailing theory is the cultural association of hearing loss and the use of hearing devices with ageing. In some instances, a misconception links hearing loss with lower intelligence, further fuelling the stigma.
However, significant technological advancements in the last decade are rapidly reshaping the landscape. Nicky Chong-White, a principal engineer at the National Acoustic Laboratories, notes, “There’s been huge technological advances that have happened in the last five to 10 years, making devices more accessible, smarter and personalised.” The aesthetic of hearing aids has undergone a dramatic transformation. “The look has totally changed. If you think of people wearing hearing aids 20 years ago, they were these ugly beige things. Now, they’re pretty stylish.”
Modern devices, like the Oticon Zeal, employ sophisticated signal processing to isolate speech in noisy environments. Even for those with mild to moderate hearing loss, innovative solutions are emerging. Apple’s AirPods Pro, for instance, can now be used for hearing tests and even function as hearing aids. Chong-White suggests these could serve as an accessible “stepping stone” for individuals who don’t require constant amplification. The ability to conduct a hearing test privately at home, without the significant financial outlay associated with traditional hearing aids, is a game-changer.
Amanda Brown, an audiologist with Audika, has observed firsthand the reluctance of some individuals, particularly men, to seek help. “Many men are conscious of what their devices look like, whereas what we’re hoping is, ‘look, here’s a solution, it doesn’t matter if you have no hair, you can put it in and it’s going to be virtually invisible’.”
While new technology offers immense promise, Chong-White advises a realistic approach to expectations. “No device is perfect in every situation. You want it to at least improve things in the situations that matter most to you. But if you go in with an expectation that it’s going to restore feeling to normal, then you’ll probably be disappointed.”
Beyond Age: Hearing Loss Affects All Ages
While hearing loss is more prevalent with age, it is far from exclusively an older person’s condition. Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, 32, has openly discussed her hearing loss.
For Aleks Czerwinski, a 40-year-old wedding celebrant and DJ based in Melbourne, the onset of hearing loss was unexpected. In 2019, an infection led to severe vertigo and a significant loss of hearing in her right ear. “I didn’t actually realise I’d lost my hearing until I put a pair of headphones in on the tram one day and couldn’t hear the music in one side,” she recalls. The journey to a specialist diagnosis was lengthy and frustrating.
Czerwinski found herself avoiding noisy environments, except when unavoidable due to her profession. She adapted by consciously positioning herself to ensure her “good side” faced the speaker. Exercise classes, often characterised by loud music, presented particular challenges. She sometimes foregoes her hearing aids during workouts due to their tendency to fall out. Furthermore, she’s hesitant to request instructors adjust the volume, fearing she’ll be perceived as difficult. “When I make these requests, I feel perceived as difficult, or I have to explain that I’m hard of hearing. Because I don’t have my aids in, and I’m youngish, I feel like it’s seen as a strange request,” she admits. Her experience highlights the ongoing need for greater understanding and acceptance of hearing loss across all age groups.
