Boomers And Bad Ears

Baby boomers are still asking to turn up the rock ‘n’ roll – but now it’s because they can’t hear so good.

As boomers begin to enters their 60s, many are beginning to experience hearing loss that can be blamed in part for attending The Who back before Pete got tinnitus, according to the New York Times.

"They’re the first of that rock ’n’ roll generation," Sharon Beamer, the associate director of audiology professional practices for the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association, told the paper, "the first to really grow up with loud music, personal stereo systems."

The Better Hearing Institute, a nonprofit educational group, reports that about one in six baby boomers have hearing loss. AARP research shows there are more people age 45 to 64 with hearing loss (10 million) than there are people 65 and over with hearing loss (9 million).

Companies like Phonak, which manufactures a device called Audeo, are making the ear pieces sexy for those with hearing issues but that still wanna look cool. Audeo, which is called a PCA (Personal Communication Assistant), is smaller than a guitar pick and sits behind the ear in 15 color combinations like Pure Passion or Green With Envy.

There’s even Oticon’s Epoq, which includes a remote-control device worn on the body that streams cell-phone calls, radio and MP3s, according to the Times.