Happy Holidays to All!

Wishing all of you a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season.  May you and your families be blessed with a Healthy 2012.  Enjoy all the sounds of the season!

Jane Kukula, AuD
Paula Webster, MA
Advanced Audiology Concepts

8897 Mentor Ave

Mentor, Ohio 44060

Phone: 440-205-8848

http://www.aachear.org/

Hearing and Holiday Gatherings

The holidays can be a joyous time and often a loud hectic time of the year.  The first and best step to hearing well for the holidays starts with good audiologic care.  Have an audiologist check your hearing.  When recommended, wear hearing aids, they do a great job improving hearing and communication.   

Gatherings with family and friends, whether in a home or a restaurant can be loud, interfering with conversation.  When having difficulty hearing in a group conversation, try one- on-one conversations.  Make sure you are able to see speaker's face and pay attention to gestures.  Keep as much of the noise behind you as you can.  Be ready to ask people to speak slowly or to rephrase the information when needed.  Conversing loved ones is well worth the effort.  Go to http://www.aachear.org/ to learn more about hearing aids.  Life Sounds Great!  Enjoy Every Moment!

Jane Kukula, AuD
Paula Webster, MA
Advanced Audiology Concepts
8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848
http://www.aachear.org/

Hearing Better at Church Services

With the holidays arriving, people with hearing loss are asking about how to hear better at church. Large auditorium like rooms have poor acoustics, challenging those who use hearing aids. Planning ahead can help keep stress down and allow you to better enjoy the service.

Consider where you sit. Do you sit up front where you may benefit from seeing the minister’s face and do some lip reading? Where are the loud speakers? Do you hear better when you sit closer to the loud speakers? Do you work with your hearing aids and sit with your back to the noise? Experiment, sit in different places, see where you hear and see the best. Make that your regular seat. Life Sounds Great! Enjoy Every Moment!

Jane Kukula, AuD
Paula Webster, MA
Advanced Audiology Concepts
8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848
http://www.aachear.org/

Purchasing Hearing Aids

Such a conundrum??  What should I know, who do I trust, why so expensive??

Buying hearing aids can be a very daunting process.  First, do you really need them?  A complete hearing evaluation, performed by an audiologist, will answer this question.  A hearing test will let you know the degree and type of hearing loss.  Then, the audiologist, a professional you should trust, will walk you through the process of selecting hearing aids.

Costs vary depending upon the style and level of technology the hearing aids offer.  They are an investment! Hearing aids are very complicated, digital processors.  It is necessary to program them to the degree of your hearing loss.  Getting adjusted to amplification is also a learning process, requiring fine tuning of the hearing aids.  You can expect to visit the audiologist several times during the first six weeks you have your new hearing aids.

Purchasing hearing aids should be a positive experience with a successful outcome!  Life Sounds Great!
Enjoy Every Moment!

Paula Webster, M.A.
Jane Kukula, AuD
Advanced Audiology Concepts, Inc.
8897 Mentor Avenue
Mentor, OH  44060
440-205-8848
http://www.aachear.org/

P

Communication is a Two Way Street!

Successful communication with a family member who has hearing loss requires everyone to cooperate!
When trying to have a conversation with someone with hearing loss, you must:

   Turn down the volume on the televison or music
   Face them when you are talking and keep your hands away from your face
   Speak clearly and not too fast
   Do not talk loudly or shout
   Sit at the table where they can see you and there is not too much noise in the background

These tips apply to those who wear hearing aids, also.  Hearing aids are very helpful, but are not a replacement for our ears.

Life Sounds Great! Enjoy Every Moment!
Paula Webster, M.A.
Advanced Audiology Concepts, Inc.
8897 Mentor Avenue
Mentor, OH  44060
440-205-8848
http://www.aachear.org/

Hearing Loss, What to Look for!

How do I know if my mother is having trouble hearing?
The signs and symptoms of hearing loss include:
   Not being able to hear well in a crowded room or restaurant
   Having trouble hearing children and women
   Turning up the volume on the TV or radio
   Needing to ask family and friends to repeat what they are saying
   Complaining of "ringing" or "buzzing" in the ears
Hearing loss can diminish the quality of one's life by undermining relationships, interfering with short- term memory and affecting every aspect of daily living.

Encourage your mom to have a hearing test, performed by an audiologist.  This is the first step to reclaiming her hearing, as well as improving the quality of her life and her family relationships. 
Life Sounds Great!
Enjoy every moment!
Paula Webster, M.A.
Advanced Audiology Concepts, Inc.
8897 Mentor Avenue
Mentor, OH  44060
http://www.aachear.org/

Alone with hearing loss and hearing aids

If you have difficulty hearing and feel along, listen to this.  Millions of people are experiencing hearing problems.  In the US alone, there are 97 Million people over the age of 50.  Every day 10,000 people turn 65.  You are not alone.  Even more important, there is help for you.

Left untreated hearing loss results in reduced word understanding, isolation, social phobias and depression.  Hearing aids can improve the quality of your life.  Get started now.   Have an audiologist check your hearing and discuss your options.  If hearing aids and listening therapy are recommended, try them.  Hearing aids and listening therapy have a positive impact on life.  Hearing aids improve many aspects of life including communication, self confidence, and reduce stress and listening effort.  Your audiologist will help you find the best hearing aids for you. 

Our generation can expect to live longer than our parents and grandparents.  With hearing aids we can live a full and active life.  Life Sounds Great!  Enjoy Every Moment!
Check out: http://www.aachear.org/

8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio
440-205-8848

Hearing Loss, Hearing Aids and Ear Wax

So what can you do about ear wax?  Typically the ears move the wax out of the ear canal.  The hairs in the ear canal work the wax through the opening of the ear. When the wax is in the opening, wash it out with a washcloth.  Do not use cotton swabs in the ear.  This can push the wax on the eardrum or worse, rupture the eardrum.  The old saying, “don’t put anything smaller than an elbow in your ears” is good advice.  The ear canals and eardrums are very sensitive and easily damaged. 

Wax becomes a problem when it builds up and blocks the eardrum.  This causes temporary hearing loss.  If wax build up is the only problem, once the wax is removed, normal hearing is restored.  If you feel you may have a buildup of ear wax we can help, call 440-205-8848 for an appointment.  After we remove the wax, if we find you have permanent hearing loss, you may benefit from hearing aids.  Give hearing aids a try if they are recommended.  Life Sounds Great! Enjoy every moment!

Hearing Aids and Ear Wax

We are often asked about ear wax, "What is it?" and "Where does it come from?". 

Ear wax is the sticky substance that comes out the opening of your ear canals.  The technical name is cerumen.  It is normal and healthy.  There are two glands in the ear canal that make the wax.  Each gland secretes an oil.  When the two oils mix together it becomes cerumen.  Sometimes one ear canal makes more wax than the other.  This too is normal and natural.

Cerumen even has a purpose.  First, most people are surprised to discover ear wax cleans the ear canal.  As ear wax moves along the ear canal it collects dust, dirt and other debris in the ear canal bringing the debris out with it.  Second, cerumen moisturizes the skin of the ear canal helping to prevent dry itchy ears.  Third, chemicals in the wax help inhibit infections and fungus in the canals. 

When wax gets into a hearing aid is can cause a couple of problems.  It can plug up the sound bore and block the sound from the hearing aid from getting to your eardrum.  If one uses a custom hearing aid or a receiver in the canal hearing aid, the wax can cause corrosion and a costly repair.  Cleaning hearing aids is important to keep them working well.  Life Sounds Great!  Enjoy Every Moment!