You realize that you’re having problems hearing in certain situations or, family members are bugging you to have your hearing tested. You may even be aware that you probably need a hearing aid. However, you’d really like to know, “How long can I wait to get a hearing aid?” We all have issues that we’d rather avoid, for example we put off going to the dentist or to the doctor unless we’re in pain. You’d probably get to a hearing healthcare provider more quickly if a hearing loss caused physical pain, but that’s not typically the first sign of hearing loss.
If you’re reading this article chances are you know you need a hearing aid. What you’re trying to determine is whether or not you can put it off just a little bit longer. Here are a few reasons why that’s not a good idea.
Delaying the use of hearing aids can reduce the degree to which hearing can be restored.
Your brains ability to process auditory information will change the longer it is deprived of sound. For example, it will become less able to separate what you want to hear from what you don’t want to hear. A complaint of some hearing aid users is that they have a problem understanding speech in the presence of a lot of competing noise. The less time that occurs between the onset of your hearing loss and the day you start to use hearing aids, the less likely it is that you will experience that type of a problem.
Waiting can make it more difficult to get used to amplification.
For instance, the most common hearing loss involves mostly high frequencies. If you become accustomed to hearing dull, without the crispness of consonants which are present in high frequencies, amplifying these frequencies so you can process words correctly can become a challenge. For this reason, some hearing aids now have an acclimatization manager to help you get used to hearing the high frequencies you need slowly over time. As you can surmise by this process, it can take time to reorient a brain that has been long deprived of these frequencies. It takes time to get the full hearing benefit from amplification to the extent that your brain is capable after being deprived of appropriate sound stimulation. The longer the sound deprivation, the longer it can take to acclimate to amplification. Once fitted with hearing aids, consistent use is the key to regain the best speech interpretation that your brain is capable of in all environments.
Hearing Loss Linked to Accelerated Brain Tissue Loss
Release Date: January 22, 2014
Study conducted by Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D, Johns Hopkins University
Although the brain becomes smaller with age, the shrinkage seems to be fast-tracked in older adults with hearing loss, according to the results of a study by researchers from Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging. The findings add to a growing list of health consequences associated with hearing loss, including increased risk of dementia, falls, hospitalizations, and diminished physical and mental health overall.
Everyday effects of hearing loss
When you first begin to experience trouble hearing it’s quite possible, even understandable that you aren’t really sure if you’re having a problem hearing. Maybe people have begun speaking too quickly, or your spouse is mumbling, or maybe other people at the restaurant are having a hard time hearing as well. As the loss progresses, you need to see people in order to hear them. Incorrectly interpreted speech which can be humorous becomes troublesome then frustrating to those who need to communicate with you. Eventually, you also become frustrated, avoiding hearing situations that are difficult for you.
Sometimes you may feel the issue is that people are speaking too quickly to understand what they’ve said. The real problem is that your brain is working overtime trying to interpret incomplete information so it cannot keep up with speech.
Keep in mind, you don’t know when you have missed or misinterpreted a word unless the speaker decides to tell you. There may be times you don’t realize that someone is speaking to you unless they choose grab your attention by calling your name. Those who suffer from hearing loss refer to this phenomenon as selective hearing.
The most common hearing loss occurs mainly in the high frequencies
You may be able to hear water dripping (a low frequency sound) but you have difficulty hearing consonants. The sounds F, S, TH, SH and T are some of the most common letters used in the English language. These sounds reside in the higher frequencies and cannot be voiced loudly.
Hearing is our link to people, events, and information. As Helen Keller stated “Blindness separates us from things, but deafness separates us from people”.
FEBRUARY SPECIAL
Siemens Binax hearing aids can be remotely controlled by a smart phone or any smart device that an app can be downloaded to even in the small in-the-ear version. The instruments are small, rechargeable, resistant to moisture sweat and dirt, connect directly to an induction loop system such as those in theaters and churches (where available) and have wireless communication. They include a tinnitus therapy feature and tone control. Frequency compression is available for those who have profound to total loss of hearing in the high frequencies.
They come in a variety of technology levels to fit your budget.
Available accessories are remote controls, blue tooth (enabling you to connect directly to TV, cell phone, computers, etc.) and alerting devices for phone, doorbell and alarm.
Schedule an appointment for a complimentary hearing evaluation in the month of February and receive an additional $100.00 off our regularly discounted price, per aid, with the purchase of a smart technology hearing instrument.
FREE comprehensive hearing evaluation
Two or three year warranty for loss, repair, and service
Call 203-791-2020 now to schedule your appointment
