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Designing for Acoustics, Hearing and Aging

by Samantha McAskill, ASID

Among seniors in the

United States, hearing loss is the third most prevalent, but treatable, disabling condition, behind arthritis and hypertension.It has been found that nearly 32 million Americans (10 percent of the total population) now indicate they have a hearing loss.The greatest increase is among baby boomers, due to noise exposure, and among those who are age 75 and older, due to aging.

Hearing problems can make you feel anxious, upset and left out.It’s easy to withdraw from people when you can’t follow what is being said at the dinner table or in a restaurant.Friends and family may think you’re confused, uncaring, or difficult when you’re really having trouble hearing.

There are also health and safety issues associated with the constant exposure to loud noise for the population in general.We run the risk of increased high blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers and headaches.Too much noise at night significantly contributes to sleep disorders.Hearing problems can make it hard to understand and follow a doctor’s advice, to respond to warnings, and to hear doorbells and alarms.

Although hearing aids alone will not meet the needs of older adults with hearing acuity issues, as interior designers, we can help by consciously considering design elements within the interior environment that will assist everyone in maintaining quality of life as we age.Suggestions include:

Use sound absorbing finishes like carpet, fabrics on furniture and draperies.

Avoid overly high ceilings in areas such as dining rooms and other public areas where background noise is difficult to control.

Remove or reduce background noise from sources such as music, mechanical sounds and noisy air conditioning.

Select quieter appliances.

Don’t combine the switch for the light and the exhaust fan in bathrooms.Use a timer switch for the fan so that it will shut off after the resident leaves the room.

Provide doorbell chimes in more than one location, i.e., walk-in closets, family rooms and on each level of the home.

Install a flashing light to let the resident know someone is at their door or calling on the phone.

Install a motion sensor so the resident will know when someone is approaching a front or back door, which will activate the door chime or flashing light.

Arrange seating in small groups and in sufficient lighting so that everyone can see each other.Many individuals with hearing acuity issues read lips in addition to using their hearing aid.

Consider the use of assistive/adaptive devices such as telephone amplifiers and TV and radio listening systems.

Resources used in writing this article include:

Hearing Loss Web - dedicated to people who have hearing loss, but are not members of the traditional deaf community. This includes people who consider themselves to be hearing impaired, hard of hearing, late deafened and oral deaf.