With masked Minnesotans, pandemic may force reckoning with hearing loss - Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Pardon me?” It’s a phrase that seems to be repeated more frequently as more Minnesotans dutifully don masks in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Masks can muffle speech, and their prevalence may underscore how many people unconsciously rely on lip reading and facial expressions as part of their listening technique. “Communication is far more effortless when you watch as well as listen,” said Sarah Angerman, director of clinical programs in audiology in the University of Minnesota’s Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences Department. “So right now there’s this triple whammy. We’re removing visual cues, the mask is deteriorating speech and now the environment is not ideal. There are plexiglass dividers and other barriers in public places that make communication more difficult,” she said. The struggle to hear is especially troubling for older people. Hearing loss is associated with mounting years. Federal statistics show that a third of Americans between ages 65 and 74 e