Approximately 15 percent of adults report some trouble of hearing.
And 34 million children have the same problem. 

May marks National Audiology Awareness Month. 
Aaron Fields spoke to a local who stresses why you should be thinking more about your hearing.
Dan Gravseth, a Sanford Health hearing patient says,  “I lived with the frustration for several years before I did it. Why I don’t know–just bull headed type of thing you know.”
Dan Gravseth says one of his biggest problems was not being able to hear people that speak soft–and wouldn’t have gotten checked out if it wasn’t for his wife.
“It’s not like losing your ability for sight or losing your ability to speak or anything else. It’s not painful it’s just more of a frustration, so you don’t have to immediately go in you think. It’s one of those things that if I could go back I would and do it 3 or 4 years before that.”
Which a Sanford Health audiologist told me that more people need to think about getting protected.
Dr. Debra Arneson-Thilmony says, “Noise induced hearing loss happens very slowly and gradually and then all of a sudden you can’t hear your can’t hear your grandchildren or your wife. Really to be vigilant and to be protecting early on and teaching your kids to protect.” 
She adds that with all the technological advances–its pretty easy dealing with hearing loss.
“Most of my patients have some sort of smart phone which allows them to make fine tune adjustments to their hearing aids. If they find themselves in a noisy restaurant they can improve their hearing but adjusting their iphone or droid with whatever smartphone they have,” Arneson-Thilmony said.
Early intervention is really important–and delaying it can cause very negative effects– which Gravseth really hopes more people will start taking notice. 
Dan Gravseth says, “It’s something you you know you don’t get back.” For KX News I’m Aaron Fields
Dr. Arneson-Thilmony told KX the most helpful technology for her patients has been the bluetooth hearing aids that came out in 2014.
She adds the new technology can get expensive– but Sanford will work with you know matter what.