Members of the armed forces have given their lives to protect the citizens and borders of our country. But for many, the comfort of returning home is often marked by another confrontation: the battle that leads to hearing loss due to the deafening modern warfare.
With more than three hundred thousand veterans in the United States alone, there are government-approved hearing impairments, including tinnitus and general hearing loss.
The lack of more coordinated treatment efforts for returning soldiers is a major challenge in veterans’ affairs. Many veterans with hearing loss have serious implications for communication with their families, their mental health, and their ability to return to work and live in civilians. Some reported increased alienation and loneliness due to hearing impairment.
Although there are hearing loss solutions on the market, including improved hearing aids available to veterans and the general population, hearing aids are not necessarily the solution to meet the different needs of everyone. Furthermore, many people are reluctant to accept such a solution due to the stigma of disability.
Fortunately, the future for veterans with hearing impairment is emerging thanks to the next generation of assisted hearing technology. These innovative solutions and devices, many powered by AI, are reshaping access and outcomes – not only medically, but emotionally and socially.
Here are some of the hearing-related challenges faced by veterans, and AI tools are helping to revitalize their lives.
How big is the problem?
Hearing loss is one of the most common disabilities associated with military service. The other challenges of returning to civilian life complicate its impact.
U.S. service staff began military service at a young age, which first resulted in hearing loss in most 20s, forcing them to struggle with problems most adults did not face until later.
In addition to the actual drawbacks of hearing loss – it is difficult to communicate in person or over the phone, watch TV and movies – there are many mental health symptoms that are closely related to hearing loss in veterans. These are especially common in people with tinnitus, creating prolonged, persistent treble ringtones when the inner ear is damaged. Those who often suffer from symptoms of tinnitus regularly report increased feelings of isolation and depression. Combined with the generalized PTSD that veterans often bring home, hearing problems create a strong sense of anxiety-provoking feelings that complicate the challenges Servicembers face when trying to re-enter civilian lives.
Like civilian hearing loss patients, veterans tend to delay seeking treatment for hearing impairment. Although hearing loss and tinnitus are the most common injuries related to disability compensation claims, their intangible nature and connection to the natural development of aging are just two things that hinder people from getting help.
Traditional hearing aids, often the starting point for most hearing loss treatments, are often seen as insufficient to attract young veterans. Despite hearing aids’ ability to improve many daily experiences, a large percentage of veterans are still reluctant to use these tools because they consider them ugly, embarrassing or shameful. As a result, some veterans waited for decades before fitting into such equipment.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (commonly known as VA) is addressing these issues to support veterans in the form of financial compensation, mental and physical health services. Unfortunately, VA remains an underutilized resource, often hindered by bureaucratic traditional tape. Many veterans are reluctant to rely on VA because they are underpaid because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profitable because they are not profit
In addition to hearing aids: Increase opportunities for better hearing techniques
Although hearing aids are a useful solution, they are no longer the only option. A new wave of assistive technology is filling the gap.
Some are turning to widely available consumer products such as AirPods or other wireless earbuds that can provide effective, low-cost, stigma-free solutions for some of the fundamental effects of hearing loss. Some of these consumer earbuds can have similar features to standard hearing aids when paired with certain applications. They can also keep music or white noise consistent, which can help minimize symptoms of tinnitus.
The most important innovation in hearing-accessible technology may come from advances in AI. Several companies, including Nagish, have leveraged innovative innovations in artificial intelligence to create AI-powered subtitle tools for phones, real-time transcription services, text-to-voice, and voice-to-text capabilities in smartphones and desktop applications. These tools enable users to communicate effectively over the phone, phone and workplace without having to disclose their hearing status in awkward moments, give up privacy or struggle. Some of these tools are free, smartphone-based, and even FCC-certified, making them eligible for federal compensation, allowing eligible users to use the services for free.
Several high-profile companies such as Google, Apple and Microsoft have released or announced accessibility features, demonstrating widespread recognition of the issue. This adoption also accelerates the integration of such features with everyday technologies such as iOS and Android systems. Incorporating AI-powered tools into everyday devices such as telephones, computers, and TVs is critical to overcoming barriers to affordability and accessibility in hearing technology.
To build a brighter future of hearing care for veterans and civilians, the first step is to raise awareness that hearing loss means not only hearing difficulties. It can lead to exit, depression and some kind of disconnection from the community and support system. By working to better understand the reality of hearing loss and its wider impact, we can create accessible communication technologies that enable veterans to rebuild confidence, regain communication, avoid stigma, avoid stigma and seek earlier intervention.
Fortunately, hearing loss among veterans does not mean isolation or frustration. With the rise of hearing loss in modern times, AI-powered technology solutions, veterans can regain agents in their daily lives. However, the rest of us normalize assistive technology because everyone faces hearing challenges.
After all, our veterans were sacrificed and we owe them…and wait.
