Keep up to date with that latest in Hearing Health News including the latest in Hearing Aid Technology and Best Hearing Health Practices!
You may not even notice the high noise levels at first, amongst the upbeat, high-tempo pop music that often fills the background of the main gym. Or the cheerful yet commanding voice of your headset-wielding workout instructor. Both of which, are often blaring.
Read MoreFrom the oohs and ahhs of gift-opening to the giggles of your favorite little elves, you won’t miss a moment during family gatherings with the ability to distinguish words more naturally, plus hear soft sounds without distracting noise.
Read MorePeople who obtained hearing aids within the three years after being diagnosed with hearing loss had decreased rates of depression (in addition to lower frequencies of dementia and falls) versus those who did not receive hearing aids.
Read MoreThe reason why hearing loss and tinnitus are so widespread among servicepeople may not surprise you: hazardous noise exposure.
Read MoreDepending on your situation, it might make sense to explore using that money on hearing aids, as they are eligible expenses under most plans.
Read More1 in 4 workers exposed to occupational noise have hearing difficulty: Let’s explore the research behind this fact and specifically how noise exposure at work can affect your hearing.
Read MoreWho knew hearing aids had the power to change the world? Today’s fact underscores the vital role hearing aids can play in the prevention of dementia.
Read MoreHaving a family member or friend with untreated hearing loss can be a tough situation to navigate.
Read MoreWhat are some positives of aging that speak to you? If you’re having a little trouble getting your list together, don’t despair: Healthy Aging Month was created as an opportunity to choose happiness for your future by taking active steps to maintain your physical and mental well-being. And where to begin isn’t as daunting as you may think.
Read MoreWhile the reasoning behind the lack of hearing screenings at routine exams isn’t clear-cut, we can take today’s fact as a reminder of how important it is to prioritize our hearing health.
Read MoreFor those who don’t own hearing aids yet, a program is a pre-set sound setting designed to help you hear better in a specific environment where you spend time (indoors or out).
Read MoreWe use and enjoy our technology to the fullest. But in the back of our minds, we also have that feeling that, one day, our much-loved device will run its course and need to be replaced. Oftentimes, this is simply the culmination of the wear-and-tear process—which yes, includes hearing aids.
Read MoreToday’s fact raises awareness of two of the biggest detriments of hearing loss—loneliness and social isolation.
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During these unprecedented times, when experts are recommending or governing that we keep our distance from each other — we’d like to shine a spotlight on our new Telehealth feature.
Telehealth Appointments lets you request certain hearing aid adjustments from Innovative Hearing, even when you’re quarantined at home or can’t go to their office.
With Telehealth Hearing Appointments, you can schedule your visit through our dedicated phone appointment line at 847.563.4988 or by requesting an appointment online. You can do this from the comfort of your own home or wherever you happen to be. Appointments can be conducted over the phone, or by video conference. For a video conference, you will need to have access to an internet browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox) and should have a good internet connection, with functioning audio and video capabilities (computer preferred, but smart-phone will work as well).
The need to hear your best is vitally important every day, but even more so during challenging times like now. With Telehealth Hearing Appointments, you can enjoy some added peace of mind knowing you can still get the hearing help you need, even when our Innovative Hearing Professionals can’t be by your side.
For other technical questions about your hearing aids, please call Innovative Hearing.
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
Research by Johns Hopkins and other institutions have linked cognitive decline and even dementia to hearing loss for reasons you can read about here. One study found that older adults with hearing loss experience a 30-40 percent faster decline in cognitive abilities than peers with normal hearing.
But a 25-year-long study published in 2015 found that hearing aid use reduced the risk of cognitive decline associated with hearing loss. Researchers also reported that treating hearing loss in midlife is the single greatest change a person can make to lower their risk of dementia.
Contact Innovative Hearing today.
Photo by Ravi Patel on Unsplash
Holidays are a time for being with family and friends and having fun! A few tips will help keep your hearing aids working well to make sure you get the most out of this holiday season!
Watch out for the cold! Hearing aids are basically little computers, so don’t leave them in the car overnight. If you do, give them time to warm up before using them.
Children and pets love hearing aids! Being around family can put you around children and pets you don’t see on a regular basis. Keeping your hearing aids on your ears will make sure little hands and pets don’t get a hold of them.
Hearing aids don’t like snow! If you drop your hearing aids in the snow, take them in the house, throw away the battery and let them dry out. Please do not put them in the oven or microwave to dry them. If you have a dry aid kit, use it.
If you have rechargeable hearing aids, don’t let the charger sit in the car/outside overnight. It doesn’t like the cold any more than we (or your hearing aids) do! If you forget it in the car, give it a chance to warm up before using it, to get the best performance.
Family and friends can be lots of fun. The fun may often come with lots of volume and many big groups, too! Sit close to the people you want to talk to and make sure you are in a well-lit area.
Children’s voices can be soft and they can talk fast. Make sure the children you are talking to are looking at you. Don’t be afraid to ask the child to repeat or another adult to help “translate.”
Accessories make life easier! If you have accessories, like remote microphones, use them! They can help you enjoy the festivities even more.
As the holidays approach, tell stories, sing songs, laugh and — most of all — enjoy time with the people who bring you joy. Happy Holidays!
Do you ever feel like people around you are mumbling or speaking too quickly? Are you having to ask others to repeat themselves frequently or struggling to follow a conversation when there is background noise? If so, these could be indicators that you have a hearing loss.
Often, our friends and family members may notice we have hearing loss before we do. We may even use them as a crutch to help fill in the blanks when we are missing parts of a conversation. Or perhaps they recognize you are having a hard time on the telephone or the volume of the TV continues to go up. If any of this sounds familiar to you, it’s time to get your hearing checked.
The best way to find out if you have a hearing loss is to get a simple hearing evaluation by a licensed hearing healthcare professional. They will be able to determine not only if you have a hearing loss, but what type and how severe the loss may be. Even if no loss is detected, it’s still a great idea to have a baseline audiogram to compare to any future tests.
To get started, you may want to ask yourself a few simple questions:
Do you often have trouble following conversations in groups?
Are you having difficulty on the phone?
Do you think others are mumbling?
Do you say “I can hear, but I can’t understand”
Are you avoiding noisy events or restaurants?
Have you noticed the volume of the TV or radio needs to be turned up?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you know it’s time to get a hearing evaluation. There are also free hearing screenings you can take online that will let you know if you have a loss or not. Just click on this link, and in a matter of minutes you’ll not only find out if you have a hearing loss, but also what you can do about it.
Remember, hearing health is important and you don’t have to struggle. It’s important to get regular hearing evaluations, even if it’s just to get a baseline. Don’t wait! Early detection is the key to your success.
Call Land of Lincoln Hearing to schedule your first hearing evaluation today!
That’s a great question, and a complicated one to answer! Hearing loss can be caused by a multitude of things: some are preventable and some are not. For me to write about everything that can cause hearing loss — and then all the ways to avoid each cause — would make for a very long blog post. We will save that for another day.
Instead, I am going to write about what you can do to avoid the second-leading cause of hearing loss — noise-induced hearing loss.
Did you know that one in four U.S. adults have noise-induced hearing loss? That’s a lot of people (at least 40 million)! The good news is that you can protect your hearing in most situations. And if you practice good hearing protection, not only do you increase your chances of avoiding noise-induced hearing loss, it will go a long way towards helping you avoid age-related hearing loss, which is the number one cause of hearing loss.
Here are a few ways to protect your hearing (and help avoid hearing loss):
This is the best way to avoid hearing loss. How do you know what’s too loud? Environments where you have to raise your voice to talk to other people, where you can’t hear what people nearby are saying, where the noise hurts your ears or, really, where any noise exceeds 85 decibels are too loud.
There are times when you are put into loud situations or environments and you simply can’t avoid them. These include certain work environments, sporting events, concerts, bars/clubs, mowing your lawn, etc. In those situations, you should use hearing protection.
Hearing protection comes in a variety of different styles including ear plugs, custom plugs, “earmuffs” and more.
With the way technology is advancing these days, almost everyone has something in their ears. Consider investing in higher quality earphones that block out background noise, to help you moderate your listening levels in noisier places. Also, the general rule of thumb to use when setting your volume is: You should be able to hear and converse with a person arm’s length away from you easily. If you cannot, then it is too loud.
You probably never think about how loud some of your household products are. Some products such as children’s toys, blenders and hair dryers. can get louder than 100 decibels! That means that it would take less than 15 minutes of use for you to damage your hearing. I justified buying a fancy new hair dryer because of how loud my old hair dryer was.
There are other decisions or changes you can make in your life to help avoid hearing loss, including:
Your ears naturally clean themselves. By putting products in your ears, you can cause infections and or actually puncture your ear drum, which can lead to permanent hearing loss.
Research studies have shown a positive correlation between smoking and hearing loss. It’s better just to say no.
Other research studies show that women who maintain a healthy diet have reduced risk/rates of moderate to severe hearing loss compared to women who do not eat healthy.
Having your hearing tested regularly is a great way to know how your auditory system is working. By getting your hearing tested regularly, you will be able to monitor your hearing easily, know if any changes are occurring, and treat any hearing loss early, before it gets to be a problem.
Nothing is guaranteed to prevent hearing loss. But the advice above should help you avoid it, or at least put it off for as long as possible.
Call Land of Lincoln Hearing, today! We are hear to help :)
Photo by Bahram Bayat on Unsplash
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.
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