Thursday, May 30, 2013

How to choose the right hearing aid

You play the most significant role in assuring satisfaction with hearing aids.  In order to be happy with your hearing aids, your needs, desires and expectations must be met.  You and your audiologist can address your communication issues and develop strategies for improving them.  Here are some suggestions for improving your chances of being fit with the right hearing aids.
·         Identify your own personal needs
·         Make a list of situations where your hearing loss has been a problem
·         Describe difficult situations:  i.e., the telephone, TV, communicating with family, movies, meetings, church, small groups, listening to young children, large conferences
Other factors to consider include:
·         The degree of your hearing loss
·         Size and condition of your ears
·         Your ability to manipulate the instruments and batteries
·         Your individual lifestyle
A positive attitude with realistic expectations about your hearing aids will improve your chances for a successful hearing aid fitting! Today’s digital technology allows for smaller instruments, improved noise and feedback management and automatic features.  These instruments are programmed and fine tuned to meet your individual needs by the audiologist.
Be patient, ask questions and work closely with the audiologist who is fitting your hearing aids.  Before you know it a whole new world will open up for you! 


Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!




8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848
Fax: 440-205-9818



Picture Obtained from:

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Hearing Loss and Aging

Hearing loss often occurs later in life.  One out of three people over age 60 have hearing loss, and one out of two people over age 85 are affected.  Hearing loss related to age is called presbycusis.  This is a permanent hearing loss.  Medications and surgery cannot restore this kind of hearing problem.  Presbycusis results from:

Changes to the structures of the inner ear
Reduced blood flow to the inner ear
The deterioration of hearing nerves and  
Changes in how the brain processes speech

Presbycusis usually is a gradual decrease in hearing for high-pitches.  These changes are subtle, slowly muffling words.  This causes difficulty hearing female voices, children’s voices, and when in noisy places.  Presbycusis is increased by other factors such as diabetes, poor circulation, kidney disease, noise exposure, and certain medications. 

Age-related hearing loss is treated with hearing aids. Modern hearing aids are digital microcomputers that automatically adjust thousands of times per second, making speech comfortable and more natural.  The side effects of hearing loss, isolation, withdrawal, anger, frustration, and communication breakdowns can be helped with hearing aids.  Those who do not seek hearing help experience a decrease in overall quality of life. Untreated hearing loss can lead to further decrease in word understanding, sadness, depression, anxiety, paranoia, reduced social activity and poor relationships.

May is designated Better Hearing Month to raise awareness of hearing loss and its effects on quality of life.  If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulty hearing, feel people mumble,  have ringing in the ears or other ear symptoms, now is a great time to call an audiologist and schedule a hearing evaluation.   Don’t wait.  

Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!



8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848
Fax: 440-205-9818



hearing aids mentor ohio

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Effects of Hearing Loss on Quality of Life


Untreated hearing loss has been known to have a significant impact on the quality of one’s life.  A multitude of emotions surround those with hearing loss.  To name a few: sadness, anger, frustration, embarrassment, feelings of inadequacy, isolation, loneliness and loss of concentration.  Often these feelings can lead to exhaustion, withdrawal and depression. 

Treatment of hearing loss, with the fitting of hearing aids, has been shown to improve:


      Earning power
   Communication in relationships
   Intimacy and warmth in family relationships
   Ease in communication
   Emotional stability
   Sense of control over life events
   Perception of mental function
   Physical health
   Group social participation

Additionally, hearing aids also reduces anger and frustration in relationships, feelings of anxiety and paranoia, depression and self-criticism.  Research by the National Council on Aging has demonstrated that hearing aids clearly are associated with impressive improvements in the social, emotional, psychological and physical well-being of those with hearing loss.   

May is Better Hearing Month.  Schedule a complete hearing evaluation.  If hearing loss is identified, consider the impact of an untreated hearing loss.  Fitting of hearing aids has the potential to positively change your life.

Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848
Fax: 440-205-9818

Hearing aids mentor Ohio

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Caring for Hearing Aids

Hearing aids don’t require a lot of work but they do need a little tender loving care.   When you are fit with hearing aids, the audiologist will go over basic operation and care of your hearing aids with you. Here are things to keep in mind.
picture of Travel Size Hearing Aid Maintenance KitMoisture is the leading cause of breakdowns in hearing aids.  Keep the instruments dry, don’t wear them in the shower and don’t store them in the bathroom.  Some of the newer hearing aids are moisture resistant; some even claim they are waterproof.  Be careful, hearing aids will not hold up under water for very long so keep them dry.  For those who have problems with moisture such as perspiration or times of high humidity, I recommend using a hearing aid dehumidifier at night to dry them out. 
Daily care is simple.  Hearing aids need to be cleaned when they are removed from your ears.  This is easily done by wiping them with a clean soft cloth or a tissue.  This will remove skin and hair oil as well as ear wax that sticks to the outside of the aids.  Open the battery doors and put them in a safe place so that pets cannot get to them.
Ear wax can also work its way into the opening where the sound comes out.  If it builds up, it can plug up the hearing aid and the sound cannot come out.  You received tools to use for this when you were fit with the hearing aids. How use the tools to clean the wax from the opening varies depending on the type of hearing aid you have.  If you have questions about how to clean the wax from the sound opening in your hearing aids, contact your audiologist.
It is also a good idea to have your audiologist clean the hearing aids once or twice a year.  We can get in the nooks and crannies, disinfect the aids and clean the battery contacts.
Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!






8897 Mentor Ave

Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848

Fax: 440-205-9818