Members of the armed services put their lives on the road to guard the residents and borders of our country. But for a lot of, the comfort of returning house is all too often marked by one other confrontation: the battle with hearing loss as a result of the deafening nature of recent warfare.
Over three and a half million US veterans alone have government-recognized hearing damage, including tinnitus and general hearing loss.
The shortage of a more concerted treatment effort for returning soldiers marks a major challenge in veteran affairs. Many veterans affected by hearing loss feel an acute impact on communications with their families, their psychological health, and their ability to return to work and civilian life. Some report increased feelings of alienation and loneliness on account of hearing damage.
While there are hearing loss solutions available on the market, including improved hearing aids which are available each to veterans and to the final population, hearing aids should not necessarily the answer for all and sundry’s distinct needs. As well as, many are reluctant to embrace such solutions as a result of stigmas surrounding disability.
Fortunately, a brighter future for veterans with hearing damage is emerging, due to a brand new generation of assistive hearing technologies. These modern solutions and devices, many powered by AI, are reshaping access and outcomes – not only medically, but emotionally and socially as well.
The next are a few of the hearing-related challenges facing veterans and ways AI tools are helping to reinvigorate their lives.
How big is the issue, really?
Hearing loss is one of the vital widespread disabilities related to military service. Its impact is compounded by the countless other challenges of returning to civilian life.
American servicemembers begin their military service at a younger age, which ends up in most experiencing hearing loss as early as their 20s, forcing them to grapple with issues that almost all adults don’t must face until their later years.
Alongside the sensible disadvantages of hearing loss – difficulty communicating in person or over the phone, difficulty in watching TV and movies – there are many mental health symptoms which are strongly correlated to hearing loss for veterans. These are especially prevalent amongst those affected by tinnitus, a chronic, persistent, high-pitched ringing that arises when the inner ear has been damaged. Those that suffer from the often-maddening symptoms of tinnitus commonly report increased feelings of isolation and depression. Combined with generalized PTSD that veterans often bring home, hearing issues create a potent mixture of anxiety-inducing feelings that compound the challenges servicemembers face as they seek to reenter civilian life.
As is the case amongst civilian hearing loss patients, veterans are likely to delay in search of treatment for hearing damage. Though hearing loss and tinnitus are two of essentially the most common injuries reported for disability compensation claims, their invisible nature and association with the natural progression of aging are only two of the things that discourage people from getting help.Â
Traditional hearing aids, often the place to begin for many hearing loss treatments, are sometimes viewed as not being discreet enough to appeal to younger veterans. Despite the power of hearing aids to enhance many every day experiences, a significant slice of veterans are still reluctant to make use of these tools because they perceive them as unsightly, embarrassing, or shameful. Because of this, some veterans wait many years before being fit for such devices.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs, commonly referred to as the VA, is on the fore of addressing these issues, offering support to veterans in the shape of monetary compensation, mental and physical health services, and more. Unfortunately, the VA stays an underutilized resource, often hampered by bureaucratic red tape. Many veterans are reluctant to lean on the VA, either because the advantages have been insufficiently advertised, due to the issue in navigating the bureaucracy, or the perceived costs and stigmas related to receiving assistance.
Beyond the Hearing Aid: Increasing Access to Higher Hearing Tech
While hearing aids are a useful solution, they aren’t any longer the one option. A brand new wave of assistive technologies is filling the gaps.
Some are turning to widely available consumer products, reminiscent of AirPods or other wireless earbuds, which may offer effective, low-cost, accessible, stigma-free solutions to a few of the basic effects of hearing loss. A few of these consumer earbuds, when paired with certain applications, can achieve similar functions to straightforward hearing aids. Additionally they enable the consistent playing of music or white noise, which might help minimize the symptoms of tinnitus.
Perhaps essentially the most significant innovations in hearing accessibility tech are coming from the advances in AI. For instance, several firms, including Nagish, have leveraged innovations in artificial intelligence to create AI-powered captioning tools for phone calls, real-time transcription services, text-to-speech, and speech-to-text features in smartphones and desktop apps. These tools empower users to speak effectively, in person, over the phone, and on the workplace, all without requiring them to reveal their hearing status, surrender on privacy, or go through awkward moments. A few of these tools are free, smartphone-based, and even FCC-certified, making them eligible for compensation by the federal government, allowing eligible users to make use of these services for free of charge.
Several high-profile firms like Google, Apple, and Microsoft, have already released or announced accessibility features, which speaks to the increasingly widespread recognition of the difficulty. Such adoption has also accelerated the combination of such features with on a regular basis tech, reminiscent of iOS and Android systems. The incorporation of AI-powered tools into every day devices like phones, computers, and TVs is critical for overcoming the hurdles of affordability and accessibility in hearing tech.
To construct a brighter future for hearing loss take care of veterans and civilians alike, step one is raising awareness that hearing loss can mean rather more than simply difficulty hearing. It will probably result in withdrawal, depression, and a certain disconnect from community and support systems. By striving to higher understand the realities of hearing loss, in addition to its wider impacts, we are able to create accessible communication technologies that enable veterans to rebuild confidence, regain independence in communications, avoid stigmas, and seek earlier intervention.
Fortunately, hearing loss amongst veterans doesn’t must mean isolation or frustration. With the rise of recent, AI-powered tech solutions for hearing loss, veterans can regain agency of their every day lives. But it surely’s on the remainder of us to normalize assistive tech, for everybody navigating hearing challenges.
In any case our veterans have sacrificed, we owe them that… and rather more.
