If you are aware that you are having difficulty hearing, it’s probably time for an upgrade.  Don’t let the word “Upgrade” be a cause for anxiety, there are simple things that can give your ability to communicate a boost.

Simple Things:

  1. Good communication practices are often not practiced, especially at home with familiar communication partners.  Listening is an active process and requires more than one person to make it work!  When making a phone call, would you start talking before the phone was answered?  Of course not.  verbal communication is similar, we need to gain the other party’s attention, then start talking.  Open with an attention getting phrase or question.  Start talking only when a response is offered, indicating that their attention has been captured.
  2. How are your hearing aids working as they should?  over time, hearing aids need maintenance.   A filter change or deeper cleaning often brings hearing aids up to specifications.  Your hearing professional is a good resource for help in diagnosing problems and addressing your needs with maintenance or reprogramming.
  3. What has changed in your environment to make hearing more difficult?  Today it is Personal Protective Equipment masks that muffle speech and reduce the visual cues that we use for understanding speech.  If your hearing aids do not have a “Mask mode” that compensates for the muffled nature of speech when a mask is worn, you may make an adjustment if you have a phone app that allows you to fine tune your hearing aid or ask your hearing professional for an adjustment or separate memory mode that will help.

More Help

  1. How is your hearing?  Our hearing changes over time, and it may be time for an evaluation to find out where your hearing levels are, and what options are available to improve your situation.
  2. Accessories for hearing aids are often overlooked at the time of purchase but may be added when the need is recognized. Distance from a source of a sound is the enemy of hearing clearly.  Being farther away from someone speaking reduces volume and allows background noise into the mix often resulting in loss of understanding.  A remote microphone placed close to the source allows reception to sound as though one is adjacent to the speaker!  New low energy blue tooth connectivity technology and Smart technology in the hearing aid makes many of these accessories easy to use and a pleasure to hear with!
  3. New hearing aid technology.  If your hearing aids are 3 to five years old, the technology in the latest products such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and low energy Bluetooth connectivity may make a world of difference in your hearing. Certain models can monitor your health and alert you or caretakers to problems such as falls.

The question is “Why Upgrade your hearing?”

Hearing is the sense that naturally allows us to acquire language initially, learn and develop cognitive skills, and to maintain connection with family and friends.  Hearing loss has been shown to be associated with cognitive decline and other comorbidities such as social isolation, loneliness, depression, balance problems and falls, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. *

Treatment of hearing loss with proper care and hearing aids does not prevent most comorbid conditions but can facilitate better care and promote a healthier lifestyle.

Why upgrade your hearing? Because you deserve to live the healthiest life that you can!

Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

* https://www.hearingreview.com/hearing-loss/hearing-loss-prevention/risk-factors/hearing-loss-associated-comorbidities-know