Types & Effects of Deafness
Hearing is a precious sense and must be conserved much like a natural resource; when it is all used up and gone, it's gone for good. This is why Hearing Conservation is important. Hearing Conservation is the deliberate attempt to protect and conserve as much of people's hearing as possible over their lifetime. Just as most people see the real need for the conservation of natural resources like rivers and forests and wildlife, conservation of their own hearing ability should be approached the same way.
It used to be just assumed as people got older that losing their hearing and some of their sight was a natural part of the aging process. It's now known that this isn't strictly true. As more and more people lived healthy lifestyles the past few decades, medical doctors have had to reconsider some things. Aging and loss of ability aren't really as synonymous as once thought. If steps are taken to protect hearing and other senses, they can last far longer at full strength than was previously thought. For this reason taking steps to protect hearing and other senses from being overstressed can lead to a fuller, richer life, especially in old age. Shifting from a medical perspective of fixing the patient after he has broken down, modern medicine is now moving towards a more preventative attitude towards aging and the loss of abilities often associated with it. And the move to popularize Hearing Conservation and to educate the public about it is part of that.
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[Edit]1 Hearing Loss Risks
Anyone who works in a noisy environment needs hearing conservation the most. But everyone can benefit from it. Many businesses and industries have seen the need for this and have programs in place to teach their employees how to protect and conserve their hearing. It used to be just assumed that people who worked at airports and steel plants were going to lose hearing after 30 or 40 years of working daily around extremely loud machinery. These days no one assumes that anymore, and active steps are taken to ensure that workers properly protect themselves on the job. Hearing protection is now a mandatory part of the workplace in many industries in America and elsewhere in the world. Prevention really is the best policy.
[Edit]2 How to Protect your Hearing
Realize that your hearing is delicate and always take proper steps to ensure that your ears are protected from prolonged exposure to loud noise. When on the job around loud machinery, or attending a public event such as a sports contest where noise is a factor, always have a means at hand to protect your hearing, whether it be ear plugs, ear muffs, or moving to a less noisy spot. Also, be active in speaking to others about taking steps to conserve and protect their own hearing. In a culture where the attitude seems to often be 'The Louder The Better!' this can run against the grain, but concern for the well-being of others should make us speak up anyway.
