KOTA BHARU: Indifference towards having hearing problem at the early stage poses the risk of having dementia for the elderly.
Eartistic Sdn Bhd chief executive officer, Dr Nur Shasa ‘Ain Abdul Aziz, said the effect could also cause the individuals to have other problems such as communication, feeling isolated, lacking confidence and having difficulty to socialise.
“These problems occur gradually based on the levels and decibel readings of the sound frequency, while the problem can be permanent or gradual with advancing age (presbycusis) due to degeneration of the hearing organ.
“Generally, based on a study until 2019 and featured on the Malaysia health portal, about 30 per cent of senior citizens aged 65 to 75 and 50 per cent of those aged above 75 had a hearing problem at this stage.”
She said this to reporters after the Senior Citizens Hearing Screening and Awareness Programme at the Pusat Warga Emas (PAWE) in Kemumin, Pengkalan Chepa, here, today.
Also present at the talk and screening involving 60 senior citizen were Eartistic Kelantan branch hearing centre audiologist, Fatin Zafirah Juhar Nawawi and PAWE Kemumin chairman, Datuk Roomai Nor Ali.
Dr Nur Shasa ‘Ain said the hearing problem could affect individuals of all ages and if not treated immediately, it could pose a more serious risk.
“The affected patients must take medications under the doctor’s supervision and are not to dig their ears with cotton buds or anything sharp as this can damage their eardrums,” she added.
Meanwhile, Roomai Nor said the inaugural programme was timely at the premises were where the elderly had their daily activities, with those among them having a hearing problem.
“Among the individuals eligible for a free hearing aid are those under the Skim Peduli Kesihatan for the B40 group (PeKa B40), recipients of Social Welfare Department aid, retired servicemen and Public Service Department (JPA) retirees or those still in service,” he said.
A PAWE Kemumin member, Mustapha Mohamad Noor, 71, said since three years ago, he had been using a hearing aid which required servicing to enable smooth long-term use. - Bernama
