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MAY IS BETTER HEARING MONTH!
As an Audiology practice providing comprehensive hearing care every day, that means it is our month to shine!
I often get asked what are
the most important things people need to understand about hearing. Here are the top three things I wish everyone understood about hearing.
1. HEARING AIDS DO NOT EQUAL HEARING CARE. While properly fit hearing devices may be part of a
treatment plan, they are not the whole picture. Comprehensive hearing care includes:
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- Checking for impacted earwax and general ear health
- Discussing your health history and
family history
- Looking for red flags that could be medically or surgically treated, like ear infections or auditory
nerve tumors
- Discussing tinnitus, dizziness, and cognitive concerns
- Discussing social and emotional impacts of hearing loss
- Discussing solutions like personal sound amplifiers, prescriptive hearing aids, Cochlear Implants and Assistive Listening Devices
- Verification that hearing aids are programmed to prescriptive targets
- Monitoring and reprogramming hearing devices as prescriptive targets change over time
- Care and maintenance of hearing devices
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| 2. EARLY INTERVENTION IS KEY. Your hearing prescription is determined by how much hearing you have left. The sooner hearing loss is treated, the more successful the treatment usually is.
3. EVERYONE SHOULD GET A BASELINE HEARING TEST. For this one I asked Dr. Jocelyn Tubbs, the audiologist in our Broomfield office to answer. Check out her article of the 10 reasons to get your hearing tested. At least a couple of them may surprise you.
I hope you can join our excitement and tell your friends how grateful you are for the gift of hearing. As for us, we won’t just celebrate this month, we celebrate hearing all year long!
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Ch'ears'!
Whitney Swander, Au.D
Owner, Doctor of Audiology
Click here to read last month’s newsletter.
P.S. Who could you share about the good news of Better Hearing Month? Feel free to pass on this newsletter!
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As an Audiologist, many of my patients tell me they felt they had hearing loss years before they finally came in to have a hearing test. There are many reasons why someone would not want to have their hearing tested such as motivation, denial, vanity etc.
However, here are 10 reasons why everyone should get their hearing checked!
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Establish a baseline.
You may not be having any hearing difficulties and this is the perfect time to document that. Once you feel increased difficulty hearing and understanding speech, it’s best to compare those new
results to your original baseline to see if there have been any changes.
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| It may be genetics.
Do your parents, grandparents or siblings, have hearing loss? Even if they developed hearing loss later in life, genetic factors can still affect your hearing. It is nice to be prepared in the event your hearing also declines.
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History of chronic ear infections as a child.
Many adults can outgrow their chronic ear infections that may have had during childhood. However, there could be scar tissue on your eardrum from so many infections which can lead to hearing difficulties later in life.
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Noise exposure.
Do you work around loud noises currently, or in the past? Did you use hearing protection?
Noise induced hearing loss affects our ability to understand speech. High levels of constant noise can cause damage to your high pitch hair cells. Once they are damaged, unfortunately,
they do not regenerate.
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Head Trauma.
Trauma to the head or brain can also cause hearing loss. Many patients who experience a traumatic brain injury will often have hearing loss, auditory processing problems, and/or ringing in the ears.
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Early Stages of Memory Loss.
Untreated hearing loss can often lead to isolation, loss of motivation, decreased ability to understand when there is background noise or multiple people talking. These also correlate with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. Hearing aids allow for a constant influx of sounds so that part of the brain stays active. It’s almost like a “use it or lose it” situation.
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Asking for Repetition.
Do you often hear people talking to you, but ask them to repeat because you didn’t understand it all? You may have a hearing loss that affects your high frequencies.
The high frequency range is where many of our consonant sounds are heard (“s”, “f”, “th”, etc.). Having your hearing tested can determine if you are experiencing that particular type of hearing loss. If necessary, the best treatment options could be
discussed to not only provide amplification just to make things louder, but to make things clear. Louder does not equal clearer.
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Difficulty understanding in group settings.
Are group or crowded situations difficult for you to understand when one person is trying to speak to you? A potential hearing loss can cause auditory fatigue when in crowded environments, because your brain begins to focus and try really hard to listen and not have others repeat. This can lead to a feeling of exhaustion after a meeting, party, or get together.
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Phone calls always on Speakerphone.
Do you feel you hear better on the phone when it is on speakerphone? Hearing loss can make understanding speech difficult over the phone when just using one ear. Many people find they hear better when they use speakerphone because they are essentially using 2 ears instead of 1. But again, louder does not equal clearer.
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TV volume up very loud.
Do your family members complain about the volume you prefer to keep the tv on? It may sound comfortable to you, but for others without a hearing loss, it may be very uncomfortable.
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Bonus:
Perhaps the most compelling reason to get a hearing test, if you haven’t had one, can be learned from some of our unfortunate patients’ experiences.
Over the years, we’ve had a handful of patients who experienced hearing loss or tinnitus as a result of airbags going off during car accidents. For those patients who had no proof they had normal hearing before the
accident, it is impossible to prove after the fact and has hindered their ability to receive compensation.
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Wondering how you can support better hearing month? Our providers have some suggestions for you!
- Schedule annual hearing
exams
If you have hearing loss, annual hearing exams are recommended. This is important so we can check that your hearing has not changed.
- Wear hearing protection when needed
Any sound over 85 decibels can be harmful to your hearing. Exposure to loud noise damages the nerve endings in our inner ear.
- Educate yourself
The more you know, the better you can protect and preserve you
hearing. Check out our website for more information regarding hearing loss.
- Start
being proactive
Be proactive by taking care of your hearing health! If you have not a hearing exam in the last 3 years, call today to schedule 303-558-5811!
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Do you like our newsletters?
Please reply to this email (or click here) with feedback, suggestions, complaints, or constructive criticism.
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Follow us on Social Media
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(303) 499-3900
(303) 464-8440
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(719) 591-2463
(303) 777-9720
(970) 221-5011
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(303) 776-8748
(970) 593-1509
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Hearing HealthCare Centers - Boulder, 4800 Baseline Road #E-108, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
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