Health Tip: Recognizing Hearing Loss

-- Hearing loss affects a lot of people, especially seniors. About one-third of people aged 65 to 74 can't hear as well as they should, and nearly half of people 75 and older have difficulty hearing, the National Institute on Aging says.

If you have hearing loss, it may be difficult to talk with people in crowded situations, or to hear a phone ring.

The agency mentions these common signs of hearing loss:

• Having trouble hearing over the telephone.
• Finding it hard to follow a conversation.
• Having to turn up the TV volume so loud that others complain.
• Thinking that others are mumbling.