I recently came across a tidbit of information on Facebook, aptly named Common MythConceptions. As I was reading some the common myths and misconceptions. It made me think of the common mythconceptions of hearing loss and hearing aids that I address in the office and in CHAMP sessions.

As educated consumers, I hope that you do your research regarding hearing loss and hearing aids. Start by having your hearing evaluated by a licensed Audiologist.

1. Hearing aids restore hearing to normal: Hearing aids will not give you normal hearing. They are an aid to help provide better hearing. Most people of nerve damage that cannot be corrected medically. Hearing aids will provide you with better hearing than without them!

2. People with hearing loss are older adults: While hearing loss is more commonly noted in older adults, 65% of those with hearing loss in the U.S. are under the age of 65!

3. Increasing the sound volume will enable a person with hearing loss to understand what is said: Yes, hearing loss is a loss of audibility. However, hearing is a very complex sense and the ability to discriminate speech sounds is processed by the BRAIN. Yelling or increasing the volume can distort the signal for the person with hearing loss. There are other communication strategies to help with the clarity of speech (e.g. getting the person’s attention, looking at them while talking to them, decrease the background noise, etc.)

4. Hearing loss isn’t a big deal when compared to other conditions: Actually untreated hearing loss is a big deal. Several studies have shown that untreated hearing loss negatively affects a person’s overall health! More importantly, the benefits of hearing aid use on a person’s quality of life are remarkable from improved relationships at home to increased social activities.

5. My friend’s hearing devices don’t work for him/her so they’re not going to work for me: Every person is an individual and so is their hearing loss. Due to the fact that we process speech and other sounds at the level of the brain, you can have a similar hearing loss as your friend but your processing ability could be better/worse. Having realistic expectations of the hearing aids based on your own individual hearing evaluation will help YOU to achieve better hearing.

If you crave more information about hearing loss and hearing aids, you can participate in Dr. Karg’s Summer Book Club, Attend CHAMP in August, or schedule your individual consult today!

 

In a world full of important (and often unimportant) sounds, anyone with normal or impaired hearing can stand to benefit from hearing life hacks. Do you think you have hearing loss? Do you struggle to hear in noisy situations? Do you strain to hear on a cellphone? If you answered yes to even one of these questions, here are several hearing tricks that may get you on your way to better hearing.

Check your hearing with a smartphone app:

If you think you may have hearing loss but you aren’t sure, download SoundCheck to quickly screen your hearing. Screening results are displayed in an easy-to-understand format with a detailed view of the results. The app also features a sound level meter that shows you the noise levels in your environment. Click on the image to the right to see if your listening environment is in the danger zone!

A quick trick to hear speech or music better:

Though two ears are always better than one, research from University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Arizona revealed that the right and left ear each have their own unique strengths! The right ear is superior at processing speech and the left excels in processing musical sounds and tones. So when you are having difficulty hearing what someone is saying, turn your right ear towards the conversation. When you find yourself straining to hear a song, turn your left ear towards the music source.

Get a better night of sleep:

A number of research studies and physicians report that the use of sound may assist in obtaining a good night of sleep. Soft background sound (e.g. white noise, relaxation sounds) can create a relaxing environment but also provide a constant ambient sound that can help mask activity from inside and outside the bedroom. The next time you struggle to fall asleep, try turning on fan or download a noise-generating app to your smartphone.

Improve your listening skills:

Play listening games to improve your hearing-in-noise skills. Research indicates that challenging and training the auditory system to listen to speech in the presence of background noise can improve an individual’s performance in those situations. Sign up for CHAMP sessions in our Sun Lakes office to learn more about HearCoach and ReadMyQuips, computer exercises that work out your hearing skill muscles.

Experience better hearing in a restaurant:

There are a number of things you can do to have a more pleasurable listening experience while dining:

• Request a table that is in a quieter spot. Sitting near the kitchen or the bar can introduce a great deal of unwanted background noise. Sitting on the peripheries of the restaurant away from these areas is a quick and easy way to improve your listening environment.
• Request a booth. A booth helps to dampen background/surrounding sounds, providing a more favorable listening situation.
• Request a round table instead of square. This will help you see everyone’s face and follow conversations easier.
• Consider the time of day. Going to a restaurant when it is less busy and more likely to be favorably lit can greatly improve your restaurant experience.
• If you struggle to hear someone because they are a soft talker or they mumble, make sure to sit next to them. Also, if you have a better hearing ear make sure to sit with the better ear towards the speaker.
• Sit with your back to the wall.

Better cellphone conversations:

There are a number of helpful tips to hear better with your cellphone!

• If you don’t wear hearing aids, try using headphones that have a microphone. Headphones not only help block out unwanted environmental sounds but also give you access to the phone call in stereo. This can reduce the strain required to listen on the phone and may improve your understanding.
• When possible, take phones calls using the speakerphone feature on your phone. Again, two ears are better than one!
• Take advantage of technology and make video phone calls using Skype or FaceTime. Research has consistently shown that the combination of visual and audio information greatly improves speech understanding.
• If you wear wireless hearing aids, get a streaming accessory or Made for iPhone hearing aids to directly stream, in stereo sound quality, phone calls directly to your hearing aids.

We can all stand to hear better in our day-to-day lives so go ahead and give some of these hearing tricks a try! However, if you are struggling to hear, I highly recommend you have a baseline hearing evaluation today. Call our office 480-497-0780 today!

May is Better Hearing Month, and this year, we are all about hearing protection. Losing your hearing isn’t the same as breaking a bone, which often can be broken and repaired multiple times. Hearing loss can’t be repaired. It’s permanent. Once you have lost even a fraction of your hearing, there is no going back. In order to preserve your hearing, it is important to take preventative steps early on and to always protect your ears whenever they are exposed to loud noises over long periods of time.

Below are some tips for keeping your hearing healthy:

1. Wear earplugs at musical concerts inside and outside.

2. Wear earplugs at sporting events such as football, baseball or hockey games.

3. Don’t listen to music through MP3 devices and earbuds at high volumes or for long periods of time.

4. Limit your exposure to loud noises without hearing protection such as power tools, fireworks and airplanes.

5. Get a hearing test every year to monitor on your hearing. Hearing aids can help preserve hearing and limit continued loss, so the earlier you catch a hearing loss the better.

6. Bars and clubs can be very loud, so consider wearing earplugs or limiting your exposure to loud music and crowds.

7. Wear earplugs when flying, as noise levels inside an airplane can harm your hearing.

8. 

   Wear hearing protection if you are hunting or shooting.

9. If you are exposed to noise for long periods of time, take breaks and step away for some quiet. This will help your ears relax and give them a break from trying to handle all the noise.

10. Use noise-cancelling headphones.

11. Check medications for the possible side effect of hearing loss. There are about 200 medications that are potentially ototoxic, or damaging to your hearing.

12. Do your best to keep your blood pressure under control, as changes can affect the delicate inner structures of your ears.

13. Smoking can increase the risk of hearing loss. Stay away from those who are smoking, or if you do smoke, do your best to quit or at least cut back as much as possible.

14. Do Not use cotton swabs to remove earwax from your ears as they can actually push the wax or debris further in. Instead, consider an at-home irrigation kit to help soften wax so that it may be gently washed out. Excessive buildup may require removal by an Audiologist.

 

Keeping your hearing healthy is an important part of your physical and mental well-being. Many people take their hearing for granted until it’s too late, so take these preventive tips to heart for better hearing.

Call our office 480-497-0780 to schedule a hearing test today.

 

In recent years there has been some startling research regarding how hearing loss can contribute to cognitive decline and its effect on mental health. Prior to having physical data from imaging and objective test techniques we relied on subjective measures, in other words questionnaires. These questionnaires that patients fill out are still very valuable research tools we can use as clinicians. In 1999 the National Council on the Aging in the United States reported on a concept and thought that practicing clinicians already knew from their experiences and their patients. Untreated hearing loss can lead to an increased likelihood of social isolation, depression and a reduced quality of life. The results were not unexpected, but it was a large enough study with over 4,300 respondents, that patients and consumers started to take notice.

The same study also found that those individuals who wore hearing aids reported a better quality of life. The patients’ families also reported that they noticed a significant difference pre and post fitting of hearing aids. This research study is just one of many in recent years that reported the benefits of hearing aids on one’s mental health and their quality of life.

The take away from previous and current research is that untreated hearing loss can lead to more than just a few frustrating conversations. It can lead to cognitive decline, social isolation, a poorer quality of life, and falls among other things. All of these can be helped or mitigated in most cases by properly dispensed amplification such as hearing aids as well as proper aural rehabilitation by an Audiologist. Hearing aids alone are beneficial; however proper aural rehabilitation and counseling by an Audiologist is often forgot about when treating a patient with hearing loss. An Audiologist can help set realistic expectations for a patient and assist them throughout the process of wearing and accepting their hearing aids.

Written by: Kevin Kimball, B.S., Doctor of Audiology Student, Arizona State University