Thursday, January 29, 2015

Fatigue and hearing loss


Fatigue, following communication in a noisy place can be common with a severe hearing loss.  As you know, your hearing difficulty has a significant impact on communication.  Without a doubt, hearing technology can and does make it possible for you to attend social activities. Without the devices, you would not be able to participate. 

Conversation in noisy places such as a restaurant, can be challenging.  Noise adds extra difficulty for hearing.  Under these conditions, you work harder to hear than anyone else.  You are actively listening, and concentrating on the speaker.  You’re sorting out words from the background noise.  You’re applying what you know about the topic to aid your understanding of what was said.  All this takes extra energy on your part.  Expending extra energy can make you tired.

Plus, after gathering what was heard, lipreading information, and applying your knowledge of the subject, you need to put the information together to make sense of it.  It’s like putting puzzle pieces together.  This takes an extra second or two.  So at times, you may feel you are a step behind in the conversation.
When you know you will be in a noisy environment, plan ahead.  See if the group will meet when the restaurant is less busy so there will be less noise.  Ask for a table in the corner where it will be quieter.  Try to get a good night’s sleep the night before.  Most importantly, have a good time, you can rest when you go home.




Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!


8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848440-205-8848
Fax: 440-205-9818



Image obtained on 1-20-15 at: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=images%20of%20fatigue&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=images%20of%20fatigue&sc=1-17&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&id=91E960B35E0E8E63C7AC7A4FE3124462F5823BBF&selectedIndex=127



Thursday, January 22, 2015

Hearing loss and withdrawal




Hearing loss can have a significant impact on our emotional, physical and mental well being. Those with hearing loss are likely to experience a number of emotions.  Often,
the frustration and embarrassment of being unable to hear and understand conversation may lead to withdrawal and isolation from social situations.

Concentration and active listening can also be very tiring, contributing to fatigue.  This becomes a vicious cycle:  If we are fatigued, it is difficult to pay attention, which results in understanding even less of what is being said, causing anxiety and physical tension.  This type of exhaustion can often lead to depression.
When you recognize someone is beginning to withdraw from social interaction is an indication he/she could be having trouble hearing.  A complete hearing evaluation would answer questions regarding his hearing and the benefit he would receive from use of hearing aids.  It is important to recognize these other implications of hearing loss.







Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!


8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848440-205-8848
Fax: 440-205-9818


Image obtained 1-27-15 at: https://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+vicious+cycle&biw=1174&bih=757&tbm=isch&imgil=CpWzKlSuvp1SjM%253A%253Bc_0W-jDhswzn6M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.messymarriage.com%25252F3-steps-to-breaking-vicious-cycle%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=CpWzKlSuvp1SjM%253A%252Cc_0W-jDhswzn6M%252C_&usg=__VRiPmAU1VNj1_zIkmrZNk9dWn6Y%3D&ved=0CDcQyjc&ei=mIrGVN27N8ihyAT-8oGQDA#imgdii=_&imgrc=CpWzKlSuvp1SjM%253A%3Bc_0W-jDhswzn6M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fdogandcatvitamins.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2010%252F05%252FVicious-Cycle.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.messymarriage.com%252F3-steps-to-breaking-vicious-cycle%252F%3B960%3B720

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Untreated hearing loss

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 with hearing aids, has been shown to improve:

  • Earning power
  • Communication in relationships
  • Intimacy and warmth in family relationships
  • Ease of communication
  • Emotional stability
  • Physical health
  • Group social participation

Additionally, treatment for hearing loss 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.  Being fit with hearing instruments has the potential to positively change your life. Hearing the wonderful sounds of life: the laugh of a grandchild, bird song, the crackle of the fire, crunch of the snow under foot, conversation with your family and the television set.  Start the year off right, call to schedule a complete Hearing Test to determine if hearing instruments will be helpful to you.






Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848440-205-8848
Fax: 440-205-9818






Image obtained 1-8-15 at: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=images%20multigenerational%20family&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=images%20multigenerational%20family&sc=0-15&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&id=EA734FAD454306DDCD4834334F5B
B887AEECE95D&selectedIndex=16

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Why is it easy to lipread some people and not others?


Patricia Kricos, PhD with the University of Florida has researched lipreading success.  She found that lipreading success depended on the speaking skills of the person talking.  Here are two of her findings.

  • Asking a person to speak more clearly can increase lipreading effectiveness by 20%.
  • With practice of less than an hour, partners of people with a hearing loss can learn to improve their ability to be understood by 40% or more.

There are three main aspects of speech that impact lipreading.  Thse are the rate at which you speak, precise pronunciation of words, and slight pauses between phrases. 

Speaking a bit slower can be very helpful.  Keep in mind you need to use a slow but natural rate of speech.  Say words as clearly as possible without exaggerating your mouth movements.  Think about each letter in the word as you pronounce them.  This will help you to speak more clearly.

Also, use short but meaningful pauses.  The pauses need to be short so that they do not interrupt the flow of the conversation.  Pausing, helps the listener figure out what is said before more information is added. For example, “My husband's sister is coming to visit us in Florida in April” VS “My husband's sister (pause) is coming to visit us (pause) in April”.
Often family and friends are willing to re-consider how they speak.  Things they can do to help you hear, benefits them as well.  Just keep in mind as they get caught up in the conversation, they will likely forget to think about how they are speaking.




Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848440-205-8848
Fax: 440-205-9818




Image obtained 12-23-14 at: http://www.computescotland.com/images/ubCcCRcme5rtBpBtTbU30ff0b8.jpg

Friday, January 2, 2015

Hearing loss runs in my family. Is there anything I can do to prevent it?


While you may not be able to prevent hearing loss completely if it is genetic, there are things you can do to reduce the amount of hearing loss you may experience.  

Hearing loss is often results from a reduction in blood of oxygen reaching the ears.  When the ears do not get enough oxygen, the nerves starts to deteriorate.  Oxygen travels through the blood stream.   Reduced blood flow reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches the ears.  Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fats and cholesterol, along with exercise can maintain a health flow of oxygen to your ears.  

Besides eating right and exercising, you can also prevent other types of hearing loss altogether.  Here are a few things to consider:

  1. Be aware of when, where and how you are exposed to loud sounds.  Loud sound, whether it is noise or music, can hurt your hearing.  Protect your hearing, use ear plugs or muffs when exposed to loud activities such as car races and fireworks, and performing loud activities such as using power tools.  Also, pay attention to how loud you listen to music and keep the volume on the softer side.
  2. Certain medications can cause hearing loss.  Some antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs can be harmful to hearing.  When on any medication, talk to your doctor about potential side effects.
Receiving good hearing care and regular audiologic evaluations will allow us to monitor your hearing and hearing needs.  Call to make an appointment to see one of our audiologists.  As part of the evaluation you will have your ear canals checked for earwax and it can be removed safely by the audiologist.  We can review your risks for hearing loss and develop a plan for you. 






Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848440-205-8848
Fax: 440-205-9818



Image obtained 12-23-14 at: http://westtorontorealestate.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Extended-Family1.jpg


Thursday, January 1, 2015

Can using hearing aids reduce stress?


Lack of communication is stressful - not just for the person with hearing difficulty but also for others.  Hearing loss and its communication challenges effect everyone.  A “bad hearing day” for someone with hearing problems can mean fatigue, frustration, even anger and depression.  The added frustration and annoyance of those talking to the person with hearing loss can further breakdown communication.
Among the most significant factors in the Quality of Life Index are health, family and community.  Good communication impacts all of these in a positive way.  People with hearing problems who use hearing instruments are healthier physically, emotionally and mentally.  They are more engaged with family and have a more active social life.  They are more successful at connecting with the community thru easier communication with family, friends, neighbors, shop clerks etc.
Another area of importance is work.  Many of us have stressful jobs.  Hearing problems can cause challenging communication situations at work adding to the stress.  Stress can reduce job satisfaction, job performance and overall energy levels.  People who use hearing instruments at work communicate easier with co-workers, supervisors and clients, and earn up to $25,000 more a year. 
There is much to gain by using hearing instruments including reduced stress.  Start with an audiologic (hearing) evaluation.  With those results, we will be able to assess the effects of hearing loss on your life and find the best hearing solution for you.  





Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!


8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848440-205-8848
Fax: 440-205-9818


Image obtained 12-23-14 at: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=images+of+stress&id=B337E7B2A340117CF9D90A996104FA8DEE42448F&FORM=IQFRBA