Social distancing doesn’t have to equal isolation for people with hearing loss

Having worked with patients with hearing loss for many years, I am always incredibly excited when they make the decision to move forward with hearing healthcare through one of our member clinics. The years of social isolation that they’ve felt in experiencing hearing loss is magically lifted with appropriate amplification. This may sound like an overdramatization and, honestly, it might be. But I could spend days telling you story after story that our patients have told us about how hearing aids have restored their connection to the loved ones around them.

We are in a unique time

The social engagement that hearing aid wearers are able to pursue and enjoy is now being limited by instructions to stay socially distant. Further, these social distancing efforts create a compounding issue for people with untreated hearing loss. Studies have shown a correlation and association between hearing loss, social isolation, and lower quality-of-life measures in normal social arrangements [1] [2]. In times such as these, when we are encouraged to be further apart from each other to avoid community-based virus spread, our friends and community members with hearing loss are likely feeling more isolation than ever before.

Modern hearing aids help you stay connected and engaged

With this unique time comes an opportunity for people with hearing loss and the communities around them. First, technology offered today in hearing instruments from companies like Starkey, make remote programming and fitting possible. As many hearing devices today are smartphone capable and compatible, Innovative Hearing’s professionals can reach out to remotely fit, fine tune, and adjust hearing devices better than ever before.

If you have a hearing loss and you find this time particularly difficult to cope with because of your hearing impairment, reach out to your local hearing healthcare provider for help! Innovative Hearing has developed protocols and procedures to keep their patients safe and keep people with hearing impairments from having to go without care.

Secondly, if you know people in your community struggling with hearing loss, know that they are likely having a difficult time — especially right now as we try to “flatten the curve” and comply with social distancing measures. Reach out to them proactively to check in on them to see how they are doing, if they need any assistance, or quite simply just to chat.

Right now, more than ever, they’re likely feeling isolated from the world around them. A kind gesture of just a simple phone call or a conversation at six feet apart can mean a world of difference to someone with hearing loss during this already challenging time.

Contact Innovative Hearing today to set up your first telehealth appointment!

1. The Association between Hearing Loss and Social Isolation in Older Adults Paul Mick, MD, MPH, FRCSC, Ichiro Kawachi, MD, PhD, Frank R. Lin, MD, PhDFirst Published January 2, 2014 Research Article Find in PubMed https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599813518021

2. The impact of hearing loss on the quality of life of elderly adults Andrea Ciorba, Chiara Bianchini, Stefano Pelucchi, and Antonio Pastore Clin Interv Aging. 2012; 7: 159–163.

By Kyle Acker, Au.D.

The inability to distinguish sounds is a form of hearing loss

The National Safety Council’s Safety + Health magazine recently published an article about ototoxicants, chemicals that can cause hearing loss and balance issues.

In the article, warnings were shared from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) about which industries have higher exposure risks to these chemicals — and how the adverse effects of ototoxicants increases when “workers are exposed to elevated noise levels.”

One type of hearing loss OSHA notes as “especially hazardous” is speech discrimination dysfunction. What’s that?

Speech discrimination dysfunction is when a person cannot distinguish a voice or warning signal from ambient noise. In other words, they can hear, but everything sounds the same to them. This can put the worker at an elevated risk for accidents or mistakes if, for instance, an alarm or alert goes off and they don’t register it for what it is.

It’s not dissimilar to a complaint that many people who have hearing loss — but don’t initially recognize it — say, that “I can hear, but I can’t understand.”

If this describes you, a consultation with a hearing healthcare professional is advised. Please call Innovative Hearing today!

Photo by Ahsan S. on Unsplash

How wearing hearing aids can help enhance your safety

You already know that hearing aids can improve hearing and communication. But did you know they can also enhance safety? Several studies have confirmed what many hearing healthcare experts and their patients already knew — that using hearing aids improves quality of life, and can provide the wearer with an increased sense of safety and independence. Here are a few reasons why:

Improved balance. Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine found that adults performed better on balance tests when wearing hearing aids. This study supports the idea that treating hearing loss (with properly fit amplification) might help reduce the risk of falling.

Increased awareness. Hearing is an important sense for environmental awareness and preventing accidents. Hearing aids can help an individual detect hazards in their surroundings, such as automobiles, sirens, and pets. Hearing well can also help you recognize where a potential danger may be coming from. Addressing changes in hearing will help you be alert and hopefully stay safe during your daily activities.

Enhanced safety. Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to an increased risk of safety issues including accidental injuries, injuries at work and more frequent and longer hospitalizations. Using hearing aids can provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones by decreasing safety risks and delivering an enhanced sense of security.

We want you to feel safe everyday! Call Land of Lincoln Hearing today to learn more about why hearing aids are important.

If I have tinnitus, does it mean I also have hearing loss?

Tinnitus is defined as “the hearing of sound when no external sound is present.” It is one of the most common complaints reported to hearing healthcare professionals. Certainly, tinnitus is associated with hearing loss. That doesn’t mean, though, that if one has tinnitus, hearing loss is also present.

Why tinnitus and hearing loss typically come as a matched set

To hear, sound is funneled through the outer and middle ear to the inner ear. Microscopic hair cells inside the inner ear are responsible for carrying sound through auditory nerves to the brain. Hearing loss can occur at any stage of this process: the outer ear, the middle ear, the hair cells, the auditory nerve or the brain.

Interestingly, tinnitus, too, can be caused at any point in the process! For example, tinnitus can be caused by a wax impaction in the ear canal; it can be caused by middle ear disease such as fluid or Meniere’s Syndrome; it can be caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear; and it can be caused by inappropriate firing of nerve cells within the brain.

It's likely that what’s causing your tinnitus is also causing hearing loss

Because both hearing loss and, likely, tinnitus are caused or triggered by the same “malfunction” in our hearing system, there’s a good chance that if you have tinnitus, you’ll also experience hearing loss. We see that often. But not always.

Why? Because there are other triggers for tinnitus that aren’t caused by problems with the ear. For instance, medications (particularly high doses of aspirin), stress, high blood pressure, heart disease and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disfunction can cause tinnitus.

Get it checked out

If you are experiencing tinnitus, a visit with qualified hearing healthcare professional should be the first stop in finding a cause for your tinnitus. Because hearing loss is often associated with tinnitus, ruling out hearing loss makes sense. If hearing loss is detected, it is likely that the tinnitus is related to the hearing loss. If no hearing loss is detected, it’s time for a visit with your primary care physician to explore other possibilities. 

Contact Land of Lincoln hearing today to set up your first hearing consultation with a professional, here! Happy Hearing :)

Noise-induced hearing loss is becoming epidemic

Between 2000-2015, the number of Americans with hearing loss doubled, approaching 50 million people.

How many times have you heard someone say (or maybe you’ve said it yourself), “I’m looking forward to some peace and quiet”? We’re guessing plenty.

Between the noise at work (thank you, open office spaces), the noise outside (traffic, we blame you), noise inside (good luck finding a quiet restaurant…or gym…or sporting event) and the noise we subject ourselves to voluntarily (we’re looking at you, earbuds), finding peace and quiet can feel a bit like a treasure hunt.

All that noise is a big reason why hearing loss has nearly doubled so far this century, according to the American Academy of Audiology.

And though peace and quiet might sound dreamy at times, it isn’t when it’s all the time, as anyone with severe hearing loss will tell you.

The good news is that noise-induced hearing loss is preventable. To learn ways to protect your hearing, help avoid noise-induced hearing loss, and remain in control of when those moments of peace and quiet get scheduled, consult with a Land of Lincoln Hearing healthcare professional today. Click here and we can help!

Photo by Nabeel Syed on Unsplash

Do’s and Don’ts of Getting Hearing Aids

Getting hearing aids is a big decision and a smart investment towards your future quality of life. Before you make the decision, consider these tips to help ensure you get the best hearing aids for your needs.

Do’s

1. Do speak with a hearing professional about situations you want to hear and communicate in better.

2. Do bring a third party or significant other with you to the appointment.

3. Do ask about follow-up care plans and what to expect from your new hearing aids.

4. Do be honest with your hearing professional about where and when you struggle to hear and understand.

5. Do ask about payment plans if cost is a concern.

 

Don’ts

1. Don’t make your choice based just on the cost of the hearing aid.

2. Don’t assume your hearing loss is “normal” for your age. Hearing loss is never normal.

3. Don’t skip the service plan. Your hearing needs change over time and a service plan will make sure your hearing professional will be able to have your aids adapt with you.

4. Don’t buy hearing aids from anyone who doesn’t test your hearing.

5. Don’t pick a hearing aid based on buzz words. Choose hearing aids that will help you when and where you want help.

For more tips, reach out to Land of Lincoln Hearing, here. We are hear to help you!

Hearing loss is America’s silent epidemic

Hearing loss can have a more negative impact on the quality of life than obesity, diabetes, strokes or even cancer, according to AARP, the senior advocacy organization which recently completed a survey that revealed more people report having undergone colonoscopy exams than hearing tests.

However, there is more to just losing hearing, said Conrad Hochreiter, a hearing instrument specialist at HearUSA in East Stroudsburg, a center that’s committed to providing patients with the highest-quality hearing care.

Hearing loss is also associated with an increased risk of dementia, falls and depression.

“Research shows we can help keep that cognitive decline (hearing loss) at a normal rate with a good hearing aid,” Hochreiter said.

However, officials at AARP and other experts say that many remain reluctant to get their hearing checked or to treat any hearing disorder because, unlike other serious and potential fatal ailments, hearing loss carries the stigma of being old.

“Hearing loss usually occurs in a gradual, subtle progression,” said Dr. Susan Dillmuth-Miller, a clinical audiologist and assistant professor in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at East Stroudsburg University.

Often persons with hearing loss do not realize the impact of their hearing loss on their communication partners; however, acceptance can be difficult and persons with hearing loss will often blame others for not speaking clearly or will delay treatment for an average of seven years, Dillmuth-Miller said.

Also, it’s important to express to persons with hearing loss how much they mean to you and how communication has become difficult and how it affects your relationship with each other, she said.

“Hearing loss affects both parties, the listener and the speaker. Questionnaires like the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults can start a dialogue and help persons with hearing loss realize how much the hearing loss is impacting their life,” Dillmuth-Miller said.

“Persons with hearing loss often don’t realize their deficits if speakers always raise their voice to communicate and those with hearing loss will not accept treatment unless they realize that they have a problem,” she said.

By the numbers

According to figures published by AARP, nearly 30 percent of people in their 50s suffer from hearing loss.

For people in their 60s, it’s 45 percent. And for those in their 70s, more than two-thirds have significant hearing loss.

While getting someone to accept wearing a hearing aid remains difficult, Hochreiter said popular culture has changed much over the years and those needing such devices might be more comfortable because younger individuals are regularly wearing something in their ear.

″[Hearing aids] are very discreet and comfortable now compared to many years ago,” Hochreiter said. “Today’s society, all ages are walking around with something in their ears like earbuds and Bluetooths,” he said. “If you’re going to put something in your ear, wouldn’t it make sense to put something in there that makes you hear better?”

Also, hearing loss doesn’t only affect older people.

The World Health Organization estimates that 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of hearing loss. And that number is increasing, according to AARP which noted that boomers had their rock concerts, and millennials have their earbuds so, the impact of hearing damage will likely grow.

Cost issues

As far as the costs, Consumer Reports performed a nationwide survey of more than 1,100 people with hearing loss. They purchased 48 hearing aids and had their fitting checked by audiologists.

The survey found that two-thirds were incorrectly fitted, which led survey authors to conclude that the cost isn’t the real issue, but shoppers must become consumer savvy customers.

“Most people have the reluctancy as to how they can pay for them or do they even really need them,” Hochreiter said. “Most are going to tell you that they can’t afford something that they really don’t want and use that as a crutch.”

Hochreiter warned that internet price shopping could yield rates that are not realistic. He said there are budget plans, and, at HearUSA, free trials are offered to allow individuals the option of a sort of test drive.

The center offers access to a wide-range of the latest hearing aid styles and technologies and have a policy in which it offers a 60-day, risk-free, money-back guarantee on hearing aid purchases.

Still, some must be convinced.

Dillmuth-Miller recalled an elderly woman with a moderate permanent hearing loss who reported being left out.

The woman’s grown children grew frustrated with the difficulties encountered over the phone and during their visits and they grew worried for their mother since she’s a very social person, but she’d gradually became withdrawn, Dillmuth-Miller said.

“The woman could not afford the hearing aids on her own, but her children got together and gave them as a gift to her. She was grateful and wears them every day and her children feel she was herself again which was a social and engaged person,” she said.

Dillmuth-Miller quoted a 2016 AARP report that noted the average cost of a digital hearing aid is $2,300 a piece.

If a person has hearing loss in both ears, two hearing aids are typically recommended for the best results, she said.

“You can see that buying hearing aids can be pricey especially since Medicare and most insurance companies do not cover them. Some practices offer payment plans which helps manage the costs and, for children under 21, the Medical Assistance program covers hearing aids, and for qualified working adults, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation can offer help,” Dillmuth-Miller said.

She said some veterans qualify for a hearing aid benefit which provides hearing aids and services and, for others who have difficulties affording hearing aids, there are charities which help with costs like Hear Now, Sertoma, and the Lion’s Club.

“Hearing aids are fit specifically to one’s hearing loss like glasses, requires counseling to become adjusted to the changes in sound, and some require special molding and fitting,” Dillmuth-Miller said. “Buying online often does not result in helping the person hear better.”

Contact Land of Lincoln Hearing today to schedule a consultation! 

Photo by Wenni Zhou on Unsplash

Veterans, tinnitus and hearing loss

Here at Land of Lincoln Hearing, we wanted to share the two most common health conditions our military veterans face, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers: tinnitus and hearing loss.

Tinnitus has been described as ringing, buzzing, clicking or hissing in your ears. Tinnitus can develop in people of all ages and backgrounds. However, people who are older or who’ve had a lot of exposure to noise are especially at risk. Veterans, due to their exposure to loud noise levels during their service, are more susceptible to developing tinnitus. According to www.military.com, nearly 1.5 million veterans are receiving disability benefits for tinnitus.

Hearing loss among veterans is also prevalent. The Hearing Health Foundation estimates that 60% of American Veterans have suffered hearing loss, with nearly 1 million Veteransreceiving disability benefits for hearing loss in 2014. According to the CDC, hearing loss occurrences among veterans may also be attributed to exposure to loud noise during service.

Hearing loss and tinnitus can affect your relationships, making it difficult to interact with others in various listening environments. This can lead to feelings of isolation or depression. It’s important to remember you are not alone in this. If you think you or a loved one may have tinnitus or hearing loss, resources are available to help, such as information on the early signs of hearing loss, information on hearing loss and information on tinnitus.

A professional hearing test is highly encouraged to verify any results that you may get. Please contact Land of Lincoln Hearing here to schedule your first hearing test today! 

Which hearing aids are best for me?

You’ve been diagnosed with hearing loss and the hearing healthcare professional says you’ll benefit from wearing hearing aids, but which devices are best for you? The decision you make will depend greatly on the severity of your hearing loss as well as your health and the lifestyle you lead. Before you sit down to discuss options with Land of Lincoln Hearing, here are a few things to consider.

Are you a technology buff?

Hearing aids have changed a lot in the last ten years. Today’s devices are nothing like those your parents or grandparents may have worn, mainly because of advances in technology. While your parents’ hearing aids had to be adjusted with a tiny screwdriver by a hearing care provider, today's digital devices are programmed via computer. Gone are the days of fiddling around with bulky volume control wheels and buttons. Most of today’s devices can be controlled discreetly by the wearer with smartphone apps as listening environments change. Bluetooth technology allows hearing aids to connect wirelessly to that smartphone you bought the moment it became available, tablets, televisions or car audio.

How much of a techie are you? Chances are, there’s a hearing aid that can keep up with your fascination for cutting edge gadgets. If you're not a technology lover, don't despair - the technology in your new hearing aids can also work behind the scenes automatically so you can just focus on hearing your best.

Is your world noisy?

Let’s face it -- life can be loud! Depending upon what you do for a living and how often you’re socially engaged with people you love spending time with, directional microphone technology can help you make sense of that noise. Dual microphones in the hearing aid work to help you understand speech in challenging listening environments such as noisy conventions, crowded restaurants and bars or a family room filled with chattering children by focusing on the sound directly in front of you and minimizing sound to the sides and back. 

Nearly all hearing aids today have some form of noise reduction built in. This technology is best for increasing your comfort in noisy situations, but it's the directional microphones that have a noticeable impact on your ability to understand conversation in these same situations. Be honest about your lifestyle and talk with your hearing care provider about which features you need.

Are you self-conscious about your hearing loss?

Let’s be clear: there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wearing hearing aids -- no matter whether they’re visible to others standing close to you or fit snugly out of sight inside your ear canal. These miracle devices not only help you hear your favorite sounds, they also alert you to emergency warning signals and decrease your risk of falling, developing dementia and feeling depressed. What’s not to love?

Unfortunately, some prefer to be more discreet about their hearing loss. For those individuals, tiny receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) or receiver-in-the-ear (RITE) styles with ultra-thin tubing and an availability of colors which blend with skin or hair may be desirable. For even more invisibility, invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) or completely-in-the-canal (CIC) styles may be an option.

The discretion of small hearing aids can come with some tradeoffs. Land of Lincoln Hearing can help you decide, given the severity of your hearing loss and your personal preferences, which style is best for you.

Do you have dexterity issues?

Diabetes, Parkinson's disease and other health conditions can cause numbness in the fingers or a decline in fine motor skills. The smaller the hearing aid, the smaller the features -- such as the battery door or volume control. If you struggle with putting on jewelry or activities which require fine motor skills, you will likely benefit from wearing hearing aids that fit behind-the-ear (BTE) or a larger custom style. It’s much better to own devices you can operate confidently and effectively than one which frustrates you so much it spends more time in your nightstand than in your ear.

Summary

It’s important to remember that no two people or their hearing losses are alike, but there are hearing aids to suit most every need. The best hearing aids are the ones that work for you. Instead of waiting to make a decision because you’re afraid you’ll make the wrong one, find a hearing healthcare professional to guide you. Working as a team, the two of you can determine which devices will work for your unique hearing situation. Contact Land of Lincoln Hearing today to set up your first hearing evaluation to discuss all of your options!

**Original article from Healthy Hearing 

The world... with a hearing aid.

What it feels like to wear tech that actually solves a health problem

I walked out onto the road, nervously, self-consciously, as one who has newly been given a hearing aid usually does. I have lived half my life, 20 years or so, without anyone really knowing that I didn’t hear very well in one ear. In fact, audiometric tests revealed that while my right ear had normal hearing, the left one had moderate-to-severe hearing loss. (An audiometry test entails a series of blips going from loud to soft, across different frequencies, testing one ear at a time, using headphones). Part of the reason I hadn’t explored getting fitted with a hearing aid was that it seemed uncool and sabataged my youth. Also, I got on with life just fine, except when someone whispered something into my left ear. I made sure I kept people on my right.

A month ago, I read about personal-health technology advancing so much that ReSound had showcased their newest product, a hearing aid, LiNX 3D, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), in Las Vegas (this was their fifth year there). ReSound is a 75-year-old Danish company that has been in India from 1995, and the reason they were at CES was to show that hearing aids could be cool! In fact, this particular model was named an Honoree in both the Accessible Tech and Wearable Tech categories.

The device consists of an almost invisible receiver fitted into the ear canal, a microphone and amplifier on the ear. There’s a tiny visible transparent tube that looks like you could be contacting aliens and not just trying to hear the world around. The company’s new LiNX 3D technology does three things, according to M Dattatreya, who heads the Audiology Department, GN ReSound India: it enhances sound quality, can be personalized and reprogrammed by both the user and clinician.

Now, in layperson’s terms

Most hearing aids today are automated, which means that they detect the kind of environment you’re in and take decisions for you. In audiologist-speak, “The signal processing is done by the device. We found the efficiency of the classifier (the technology that decides the environment) could be improved,” says Dattatreya. So their engineers worked on tech that they now claim has a 98% efficiency. Which means if you’re at a noisy restaurant, it will identify that it is a restaurant (because of the acoustic characteristics), not confusing it with a home environment or a theatre, for instance.

That brings us to directionality, or the ability of the device to pick up sounds from specific directions. Again, in the restaurant example, the hearing aid will intuitively know that it’s supposed to ‘listen’ to the person in front and not to the people having a loud conversation behind.

Then there’s the matter of speech understanding, or the ability of the aid to decipher what a person is saying, so that it’s not just the feeling of sound or noise, but you hear actual words.

So does it work?

I found that the world seemed an incredibly noisy place! For starters, when the aid came on, I heard EVERYTHING, from the guy at the far corner tap-tapping away at the computer to someone’s footsteps as they walked into the room. It was almost as if everything was magnified. This could be for two reasons, says Dattatreya. One, there is a "hearing-aid adaptation period", where the brain that has not been getting signals from a ear takes time to adjust, and will slowly begin to filter out sounds that aren’t important to the body. This could take anywhere from 2-3 weeks. Also, each person has their own preference, in terms of setting, and this can take a few sessions to sort out with the audiologist.

The aid can be adjusted in two ways through an app: you can yourself tweak elements like wind control, noise cancellation, volume and focus; or you can put in a word to your clinician via the app for it to be done remotely. Once the adjustment is made, you can either accept or reject it. I didn’t get the device for long enough to test all of these, and I’m sure it takes a couple of months to find a sweet spot.

What also takes getting used to is speaking on the phone. You need to angle it to ‘catch’ the microphone, but after so many years I could finally use the idle ear. The main thing about the aid was the sense of balance. I hadn’t realized it, but I have been inadvertently straining to concentrate, in order to listen.

The earpiece fits into the canal with ease. It's location can be picked up, of course, since it has a near-field communication system, which means you can track its location via GPS. And this one doesn’t even have to be charged (there are chargeable ones too). Whether you buy it or not depends on affordability, comfort and your clinician’s recommendation. But should you get a hearing aid at all if you have hearing loss? Doctors unanimously say yes.

Contact Land of Lincoln Hearing today to set up your own personal consultation!