Why not always hear your best!

The following are questions regarding hearing that you may or may not have thought of.

When should I get my hearing checked?  Routinely.  It's important to have periodic checks of our hearing throughout life.  Having a baseline allows us to know where we are and then when changes begin to occur so we can act quickly to maintain our level of hearing. 

How can I notice a change in my hearing range?  In most cases you can't.  Without regular check ups, it is very difficult to catch changes in hearing.  Periodic checks allow you to catch changes in hearing before others do.  Waiting to have a check til your hearing is "bad" causes signficant stress on relationships.  Why not always maintain your hearing health as we do with vision and dental exams. 

Who uses hearing technology and does that apply to me?  People who want to hearing their best take advantage of today's hearing technology.  With today's technology, we've reached a time where the technology and cosmetics of hearing devices make is so the people around will not know you are wearing a hearing system.  This is similar to contacts.  Just because you don't see glasses, doesn't mean the person has perfect vision.  New technology in hearing can give that same result.  People around you may never know you have hearing difficulties.

When should you use hearing technology?  Whenever the situation demands it so you can be yourself?

I encourage each of you to treat your hearing as we do our eyes and teeth.  Find a hearing professional (preferrable a doctor of audiology) that you can build a relationship with.  They can help you determine ways to protect your hearing health, monitor your hearing health and provide hearing systems that will keep you functioning at the level you deserve. 

The following questions were taken from a recent class I attended.  The speaker was Curtis Alcock. 

Clarity Hearing Christmas Party 2012

We are the true definition of a family owned small business. It's been a great year. I'm thankful for the ability to do something I love with the support of family and friends. 

#Hearing in noisy restaurants

http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50100554#50100554

I liked this from the Today's show.  Restaurants are trying to make their atmosphere more noisy which affects both people with and without hearing loss.  Next time you're in a noisy restaurant, speak up and ask them to change the atmosphere.  Restaurants can do it, but without consumer complaints, they won't. 

Hearing loss cartoon

Thought this was really funny!

Hearing Loss during the holidays

How frustrating would it be for grandma not to #hear her grandaughter the first time she decorates a christmas tree?  Moments like these happen only once.  For some reason we accept our #hearing loss for years before we act on it.  Would we go years without seeing before buying glasses?  Off course not.  Advances in #hearingaidtechnology have made it so that we can give patients the enjoyment that comes from hearing and being involved in family gatherings.  For more information stay tuned or go to www.hearingwithclarity.com.  There you'll find links to all my information.  I hope you have a great holiday season filled with love and laughter. 

Give the gift of hearing

Hearing loss is magnified during the holiday's.  The inability to hear conversations can result in anger, depression and lonliness.  Most of us will come across family or friends with hearing loss this holiday season.  Remember to be kind and compasionate.  Try to encourage people to seek help from an audiologist.  Better hearing can help you hear your grandchildren or your spouse tell you that they love you.  Don't miss out on all the important conversations this holiday season. 

Hearing Protection

October has been designated National Hearing Protection Month.  This doesn't get as much press as some of the other issues out there, but I think it is as important.  This time of year, many of you are hunting and don't think about the loudness of the gun when it goes off.  I've seen many patients over the years who have sudden permanent hearing loss from a single gunshot.  Today we have the technology to protect our ears in this situation.  There are electronic noise ear plugs that actually provide a little amplification until you fire, then they have a compression circuit that shuts down the sound and protects the ear. 
Our kids are going off to school and some of them play in the band or listen to their ipod's for extended periods of time during the day.  More and more students are choosing to wear "musician plugs" to protect their hearing.  These devices have a filter in them to soften sound over a broad frequency range allowing the music to maintain the correct sound, but softer.  As for the ipod's, we now know that listening to music through headphones has dramatically increased the incidence of childhood hearing loss.  The key to protecting your children's hearing is to cut down both on the level of the volume and the overall time during the day.  I know this can be difficult because our kids don't always listen.  I think it's worth the effort because nobody really wants to wear hearing aids when they're 18.