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Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ): |
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How do I
know if I have a hearing loss? |
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Do you have difficulty understanding
conversation in a group of people or in a noisy
place like a restaurant
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Do you find yourself asking others to repeat
themselves?
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Does it seem to you that some people mumble?
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Do you turn the TV up too loud for the comfort
of your family members?
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Do you have trouble understanding whispers from
those next to you, or do you have trouble
understanding voices from across the room?
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Do you have difficulty understanding women or
children?
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If you
answer "yes" to any of these questions, then you
likely have a hearing loss. You should have an
audiologist test your hearing. |
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I have
been told I have "nerve deafness" and that nothing
can help me. Is this true?
Nothing
could be further from the truth. First of all,
"nerve deafness" is a misnomer. Hearing loss
that occurs with increasing age or from hereditary
factors is rarely caused by a deterioration of the
hearing nerve, but is caused by damage to the tiny
hair cells in the inner ear or cochlea. The
vast majority of successful hearing aid users have
been told they had "nerve deafness" at one time or
another. It's very rare that someone with
hearing loss can not be helped. If you've been
told this, please seek a second opinion. |
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I am
fairly certain that my husband has a hearing loss.
How should I proceed?
The only professional trained in the measurement of
hearing is an audiologist, so that should be your
first stop. An audiologist has earned, at
minimum, a Masters degree in Audiology from a
University and he or she should be licensed by the
State Board of Examiners. An audiologist will
measure your husband’s hearing and will do all
appropriate testing to determine if hearing aids
might be of benefit. With today’s advanced
technologies, the vast majority of hearing losses
can be corrected with hearing aids. Only 20%
of hearing losses in adults are caused by medical
problems, but if indicated, an appropriate referral
will be made for medical treatment. |
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My mother
has become very hard of hearing but refuses to admit
it or to do anything about it. How can I
encourage her to get tested?
Hearing loss often occurs very gradually and is a
problem only in certain listening conditions.
It is easy for the listener to blame background
noise, room acoustics or the speaking
characteristics of others for inability to hear
clearly. It is hard for many to accept that
the problem is theirs and not the speaker’s.
It may be useful to sit down with your mother and
share with her how frustrating her hearing loss is
for you. You have to get her attention before
you can speak to her. You cannot talk to her
from another room. She is always asking you to
repeat what you say. It is just plain hard
work to communicate with her and that makes visiting
a chore. Many people don’t realize what an
imposition their hearing losses are for friends and
family members and end up socially isolated as a
result. Approach your mother’s hearing loss
from the standpoint that you would like to be able
to visit with her more freely, and that might
persuade her to seek help. Offer to make her
an appointment with an audiologist and then go with
her. Your audiologist is trained to counsel
those with hearing loss and help them deal with
their feelings of denial.
Many
people still feel that the use of hearing aids
creates a stigma associated with aging and/or
disability. It sometimes helps to point out
that the stigma of appearing inattentive, self
centered or just plain dumb is much worse than the
"stigma" of hearing loss. The successful use
of hearing aids is very common. Patients
usually find that the benefits of better hearing
outweigh their concerns that someone will see their
hearing aids. |
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How is
hearing tested? Does it hurt?
Many methods have been developed to assess hearing
ability, but the most common and the most reliable
test has been the Pure Tone Audiogram.
Earphones will be placed on your ears and you will
be asked to listen for a series of beeping tones
that sound rather like notes on a piano. You
will be asked to respond when you hear these sounds
by raising your hand or pushing a button. Your
audiologist will determine the softest volume that
you can hear for a variety of tones from very low to
very high pitched, and the results will be recorded
on a graph called an audiogram. The entire
test is performed in a quiet environment so that
your test results may be compared to what is normal
for human beings. You will also be asked to
repeat a series of one syllable words to determine
how well you understand what you hear.
Sometimes this test is repeated in the presence of
background noise.
The
entire evaluation takes about an hour and there is
no pain or discomfort involved. It simply
requires some concentration on your part. The
test results are used to determine your diagnosis
and which, if any, hearing instruments will be most
effective in correcting your hearing loss. |
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What is
the best hearing aid?
This is similar to asking what is the best car!
Hearing aids, like eye glasses, must be fit to your
particular hearing loss. One hearing aid will not
fit everybody. There are about thirty
manufacturers of hearing aids all over the world.
We believe it is best to consult with an audiologist
who is not restricted to sales of only one brand
because he or she is then free to choose the best
solution for your needs from all manufacturers. |
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My aunt’s
hearing aid makes a whistling sound. What
causes this and what can we do to make it stop?
Whistling, or feedback, is a very common symptom of
a poorly fit hearing aid. The hearing aid’s
job is to amplify sounds not heard well by the user.
If the amplified sound coming out of a hearing aid
gets picked up by its microphone rather than going
down the ear canal, feedback will occur. It is
necessary to isolate the microphone from the ear
canal with a custom fitted ear mold. A whistling
hearing aid is caused either by an ear mold that
does not fit the ear snugly or by an ear mold that
is not properly seated in the ear canal.
If a
significant hearing loss exists, the hearing aid
user will not hear that feedback but it is mighty
annoying to anyone nearby! A visit to your
audiologist is in order to take new ear impressions
or to get instruction on proper insertion of the
hearing aid into the ear canal. |
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Why do
hearing aids vary so much in cost?
As with automobiles, it’s what’s "under the hood"
that determines cost. The most expensive
hearing aid circuitry is digital or programmable,
while the simplest Class A circuits are fairly
inexpensive. Hearing aids are now available at
a very modest cost. Digital circuits contain a
computer chip that allows the audiologist to program
literally hundreds of adjustments into your hearing
aids. Digital hearing aids produce the best
sound quality available today and can be
reprogrammed should your hearing change. |
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Will I
become dependent upon my hearing aids?
We certainly hope so! If properly fitted,
hearing aids will not make your hearing any worse,
nor will they prevent your hearing from
deteriorating naturally. Once accustomed to
listening with hearing aids, most people do find
they are somewhat "lost" without them and put them
on along with eyeglasses each morning. You
will probably find that you will be less fatigued by
social gatherings and long conversations than you
were before acquiring your hearing aids. A
"dependence" upon hearing aids is no different than
a "dependence" on eyeglasses. If you need them
to hear and see clearly, become dependent! |
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To schedule a hearing evaluation, call 800-227-0156 |
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Webmaster:
www.bhwebdesign.com |
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