Help... I Think I have a Hearing Loss - Now What?

Article submitted by Kane Hearing Care. They can be reached at 239-263-8855

Over one third of our population over the age of 65 has significant hearing loss. Fortunately, tremendous technologic developments provide people with hearing impairment better solutions to their hearing needs than ever before.

The first step you need to take is to schedule an appointment to have your hearing evaluated by an audiologist. The audiologist will perform a comprehensive audiology evaluation to determine the degree of hearing loss and the best course of treatment for you. In approximately 10% of all cases, an underlying medical problem may be the cause of your hearing loss and the audiologist will refer you to an ear specialist or otolaryngologist. For the remaining 90% of people with hearing loss, the audiologist may recommend hearing aids to address hearing and communication difficulties.

Unlike most consumer purchases, you can't walk into a store and pick one out. You are buying an expensive piece of electronic equipment that is custom fit to your ear and that the audiologist has to adjust to your specific hearing needs. A competent audiologist will discuss the various types and styles of hearing aids that will fit your hearing loss, your lifestyle, and your budget.

Currently, there are hundreds of different hearing aids with different levels of technology available. Keep in mind two things. First, all of the technologies are available in all sizes of hearing aids-from the biggest, like the behind-the-ear model, to the smallest, which is the completely-in-the-canal size. Secondly, the more basic the technology, the less expensive the hearing aid and vice versa.

The first level of technology is a basic system we call linear and has been around for over 40 years. It amplifies all the sounds the same. In other words, regardless of the level of the sound that you hear-soft, medium or loud-it gives essentially the same amount of volume.

Now, 100% digital is available. These advanced hearing aids are able to treat all levels of sound independently-soft, medium, and loud sounds. This means that you get exactly the right amount of volume for all sounds, whether it is a whisper, traffic noise or just normal conversation. The second advantage of digital hearing aids is that these instruments have between 2 and16 channels, which allow the audiologist to custom program the fit precisely to your unique hearing loss. Multiple programs that are used change how the hearing aid processes sound as you move from one listening situation to another such as from quiet to noisy. Because digital hearing aids convert the signal into digital information, which is processed much like our music CD's, what you will hear is clearer and more realistic sound. Sounds are processed much faster allowing for enhanced hearing in the presence of background noise. Our audiologist can program your hearing aid via computer in our office. This gives you the opportunity to listen, give feedback and have changes made to the hearing aids immediately.

Which hearing instrument is right for you - that is for you and our audiologist to work together to decide. Know that there are good solutions to most of your hearing needs available today. Take that first step, make an appointment to see an audiologist, and start hearing what you've been missing.