How the Pandemic Might Be Affecting Your Hearing "what?!" at people everyday, it should be. In fact, the Hearing Industries Association (HIA), reports that less than 16% of adults ages 20-69 who need a hearing aid actually use one. And while four of five Americans consider hearing loss to be serious, few actually focus on the problem. "Hearing loss is something that develops gradually, if you're talking about age-related hearing loss," said Kate Carr, President of the HIA, in our "Tuned In to NoCo" interview. "So the things that you miss, a little bit at a time...you may not notice and you might just think that: 'I can hear well enough.'"