Thursday, December 27, 2012

Happy New Year!

As the Chimes Ring Twelve!


Wishing you a Happy Healthy New Year
From All of Us At
Advanced Audiology Concepts


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





Thursday, December 20, 2012

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you and Your Family
Happy Holidays



May They be Filled
With the Sounds of the Season


From All of Us At
Advanced Audiology Concepts



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






Thursday, December 13, 2012

New Hearing Aid Technology



Up until the mid 90's, we saw advancements in hearing aids about every ten years.  Since then digital hearing aids came to the market and we've seen advances in hearing aid technology about every 18 months.

Digital hearing aids are smart.  They listen to the sounds around you and adjust accordingly.  There are many features working behind the scenes to maximize conversations even when there is background noise.  Features such as directional microphones, noise reduction and noise cancelling.  These features turn on and off automatically, adjusting to your environment.  Yes, automatically, most hearing aids today can be set so that you don’t need to adjust them.  Yet for those times when you may want control of the hearing aids there are instruments that can also be adjusted manually.

In noisy places, hearing aids focus on the person in front of you (the hearing aids assume you are looking at the person you want to hear).  Some hearing aids can be to focus to the side or even behind you.  They are tailored to each individual’s needs. 

Telephone options are also available.  With some hearing aids telephone conversations are heard in both ears at the same time.  Hearing aids can pick up blue tooth signals and send them directly to the ears. This includes cell phones, music players, lap tops, television and other electronic devices with blue tooth capabilities.

Recent research has given us ways to reduce wind noise, reverberation and background noise. 
If you have been told hearing aids won’t help, if you are struggling with your current hearing aids or if have hearings aids over 4-5 years old, contact your audiologist to learn what can be done to imporve your hearing.  95% of people with hearing loss benefit from today’s hearing aids.  Call today.  


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/






Thursday, December 6, 2012

What to do when someone resists getting hearing aids



We are often asked how to encourage loved ones to seek hearing help, especially hearing aids. Often those with hearing loss resist seeking treatment.  We know that dealing with and accepting hearing loss is difficult for some people. 

There are many reasons why people deny hearing trouble. For some it is fear of the unknown or of aging.  For others it is denial or lack of awareness of the problem.  After all, if you don’t hear something, you don’t always know you missed it. Simply ignoring hearing loss can lead to withdrawal, isolation and depression.

Some people respond well to encouragement of loved ones.  For others pointing out the negative impact on quality of life and physical health can motivate them into action. While others do not take the suggestion well, become angry and more resistant to help. For this group, tough love may be the answer.  


The Better Hearing Institute suggests the following for those who are resistant to seeking help:


1. Don’t repeat yourself. Allow your loved one the opportunity to realize the significance of their hearing loss. Do not stop helping though. All you do is preface what you repeat by saying each time, “Hearing Help!” or some other identifier. In a short amount of time, your loved ones will realize how often you say this. In turn, they will come to realize how often they depend on you. (This suggestion is only for a loved one who resists the idea of getting any help).


2. Stop raising your voice. Raising your voice stresses your throat and vocal chords.


3. Stop being the messenger carrying the communication load for the family. Do not tell your loved one “He said” and “She said” when he or she needs to be responsible for getting this information directly from the source.


4. Do not engage in conversation from another room as tempting as this is and as convenient as it appears. This sets up you up for communication failure.


5. Create a telephone need. Stop being the interpreter on the telephone. Allow your loved one to struggle in order to recognize how much help is needed.


The hope is that the loved ones will realize what they are missing and recognize they need help.  At this point call and schedule a hearing evaluation.


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