Desert Hearing Care – Hearing News

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For Better Hearing,

Gene K. Erickson

Board Certified – Hearing Instrument Sciences, A.C.A. – Audioprosthologist
Owner & Practice Director
Desert Hearing Care

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You know the saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” right?

It is a well-known fact that hearing loss is the third most common health condition (behind arthritis and hypertension) affecting Americans over 60.

This doesn’t mean that the day we turn 60, we wake up in the morning and can’t hear. No. The process is gradual, progressive and quite insidious; some experts say it can start as early as in our 40s.

This message is especially important to over 70 million baby-boomers in this country – folks who were born between 1946 and 1964. Many of them are healthy and active, and may not realize that their hearing has already started to diminish.

When it comes to age-related hearing loss, it may not always be preventable. However, not waiting too long before getting tested and – in case of need – getting fitted with hearing aids sooner rather than later, is a very smart move.

Just like our joints and muscles, the use-it or lose-it principle applies to our hearing. Understanding hearing loss and treatment options, such as hearing aids, can assure you don’t lose it before it is too late.

But I am too young to have hearing loss!

Well, no. Even babies, children and young people can suffer from hearing loss – and many do.

But since we know for a fact that tiny hairs inside the ear that help us hear get damaged and die as we age, for most people losing their hearing is a matter of “when,” not “if.” As you are reading this, one in three people over 65 are suffering from hearing loss.

What about those younger than 65?

Let’s look at hard data. A few years ago, a study conducted by the Ear Foundation, demonstrated that half of nearly 76 million baby boomers in the United States are experiencing some degree of hearing loss, a higher number than previously estimated.

In fact, even though hearing loss is widely perceived as affecting predominantly older people, Better Hearing Institute says that 65% of the hearing-impaired are younger than 65. More than six million Americans between the ages of 18 and 44 already have hearing problems, and nearly one and a half million are school age. So yes, hearing loss affects all age groups.

Why waiting can harm you and your hearing

Even if you are one of those people who insist they hear just fine, thank you, there is no harm (and a lot of benefit) in having your hearing checked.

The study’s findings speak louder than words when it comes to reasons why early-onset hearing loss should not be ignored or neglected. It all comes to quality of life and earning potential.

Just look at the results of this study:

•Almost one-fourth (23%) of these individuals said their hearing loss is affecting their success in the workplace, while 25% said hearing loss is affecting their earning potential. The areas of their work that are most affected are hearing and understanding phone calls and conversations with co-workers.
•40% of the individuals who reported having a hearing loss said that it has affected their home life. Watching TV with others and social gatherings are the areas that boomers with hearing loss avoid most.
•More than half (57%) said they often have difficulty hearing on a cell phone.
Yet, despite the clearly shown work and lifestyle limitations, the study found that most people impacted by hearing loss are not taking the necessary steps to seek treatment. In fact, only 42% of those who reportedly have a severe hearing loss wear hearing aids.

So what are you waiting for?

Maybe a compelling reason why you should not wait any longer – until you are retired, for example – to get pro-active about checking your hearing.

One of the many good reasons is this: undetected and untreated hearing loss can diminish your quality of life by making it difficult to communicate and interact with people around you – be it at work or in family and social situations.

On the other hand, treating hearing loss as early as possible, before it starts to impact your emotional, psychological and social well-being (not to mention your earning power), can improve your communication and language skills, allowing you to fully participate in all the leisure and work activities.

So don’t wait until you have to cup your ear to hear people around you. Get tested – and, if needed, treated with some of today’s sophisticate digital hearing aids– as soon as you finish reading this article!

Call Desert Hearing Care at (480) 985-2544 or schedule your free consultation online here

Not ready yet?

REQUEST DESERT HEARING CARE’S FREE SPECIAL REPORT “HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HEARING CARE PROFESSIONAL” BY CLICKING HERE!

Article first published by Healthy Hearing – Monday, August 2nd 2010

Springtime is here! Just listen to the sounds of birds chirping, and children laughing and playing outside after months of being cooped up indoors.

What – you can’t hear them? Before spring turns to summer (and new ambient sounds will be filling your environment), make sure your hearing is up to scratch. Just as the nature around us is experiencing a rebirth and renewal of sorts, so should your ears.

Millions affected with hearing loss
If you are one of those people who can’t hear the sounds of spring (or any other season, for that matter), you are far from alone. In fact, according to National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), approximately 17 percent of American adults, or 36 million people, report some degree of hearing loss, making hearing loss “among the leading public health concerns.”

Here’s a breakdown of the numbers, as reported by Better Hearing Institute (BHI):

•3 in 10 people over age 60 have hearing loss;
•1 in 6 baby boomers (ages 41-59), or 14.6 percent, have a hearing problem;
•1 in 14 Generation Xers (ages 29-40), or 7.4 percent, already have hearing loss;
•At least 1.4 million children (18 or younger) have hearing problems;
•It is estimated that 3 in 1,000 infants are born with serious to profound hearing loss.
As you can see, the numbers are staggering, but they don’t tell the whole story. The part that is missing here is that a considerable number of people with hearing loss who could benefit from hearing aids, don’t.

Studies show that 4 in 10 people with moderate to severe hearing loss use hearing aids, and only 1 in 10 people with mild impairment do. Research also demonstrates that, on average, people wait seven years before purchasing a hearing aid after learning of their hearing loss, while others never do. This means that millions of people walk around with untreated hearing loss, missing out on conversations, activities, interactions, and job opportunities.

With such clear and undisputed benefits, why do so many people forego treatment?

Among the primary reasons is the cost of hearing aids, which range, on average, from $1,800 to $5,000 per ear. While it is true that this price – not refunded by Medicare or most private insurers- is very high, it may still be affordable if you take the initial price and spread it out over several years that an average hearing device will last. You will have a very reasonable price of only $3 a day – the cost of a cup of coffee.

Other reasons advanced in surveys for not wearing hearing aids are really moot points – cosmetic considerations and fear of change.

C’mon, get real: hearing aids make you look old but straining to hear everyone around you doesn’t? Wearing hearing aids can actually allow you to appear younger and more youthful to those around you when you are actively participating in conversations and answering questions appropriately.

Hearing Aids & Clear benefits
Today’s digital hearing aids are to thank for the increase in overall consumer satisfaction with hearing aids, as seen in recent surveys. Satisfaction and benefit perceived are at all time high thanks to innovative technologies, ease of use features as well as a new focus on design.

The hearing aids you see people wearing today are a far cry from what you remember gramps wearing. They are now an accessory you can customize for your style and personality.

Some of the many benefits advanced digital hearing aids will provide you are:

•Improved hearing in background noise thanks to directional microphone technology
•Improved comfort due to technologies such as digital noise reduction and wind noise reduction while outdoors
•Automatic feedback suppression to reduce unwanted whistling that hearing aid wearers often have occur
•Addicted to your cellphone or MP3 player? Digital hearing aids today are able to connect to any Bluetooh enabled device wirelessly, allowing you to stay connected and to turn your hearing aids into personal headsets.
This list could go on for some time. The picture here is not only has digital technology brought us high-definition TVs, it has brought us high definition hearing.

You may think we are being dramatic here, but it is a proven fact that by cutting sufferers from social interactions and limiting their employment possibilities, hearing loss can cause feelings of sadness, isolation, and even depression. It can also put them at risk of accidents and serious injury if, say, they don’t hear the warning signs of fire alarms or oncoming traffic.

On the positive side, same studies show that use of hearing aids has a beneficial effect not only on hearing per se, but also on mental and emotional well-being, as well as the overall quality of life.

BHI says that, based on research, hearing aids use can boost:

•Earning power
•Communication in relationships
•Intimacy and warmth in family relationships
•Emotional stability
•Sense of control over life events
•Perception of mental functioning
•Physical health
These are all compelling reasons why you should not wait any longer to get tested and fitted: Spring is here, and while amplification may not help you hear the flowers grow, it will help you enjoy all the other sounds around you.

Contributor
Carolyn Smaka Au.D. Associate Editor, Healthy Hearing

Source: Healthy Hearing Copyright 2010
Reprinted with permission.

REQUEST DESERT HEARING CARE’S FREE SPECIAL REPORT “HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HEARING CARE PROFESSIONAL” BY CLICKING HERE!

What is it with aging?

People fight it. Our culture associates aging with weakness, being “broken”, senility and a bunch of other drawbacks. Hate to tell you this, but we all get old – if we’re lucky. It’s the natural order – the way things are supposed to be, yet ageism is alive and well. And when you experience it – in the workplace or out in the community – you’ll do everything you can to look younger so you still fit in.

That’s why so-called anti-aging creams sell for $50 an ounce, men die their hair (60 year old faces with jet-black, 20-year hair, oh yeah, that looks natural) – we fight looking old every step of the way.

Recognizing hearing loss is often one of the first signs of acknowledging that you aren’t as young as you once were. Vision loss, loss of mobility, aches in joints you didn’t even know you had – all part of nature’s little joke. And something we all go through.

Survey Says Perception of Hearing Aids Still Equals Old

Hear the World, a global initiative by leading hearing aid manufacturer Phonak, recently compiled a survey on perceptions of others on aging and hearing loss, and the results might surprise you.

The survey polled 4.5 thousand people between the ages of 14 and 65, and wearing a hearing aid is still considered the most obvious, and therefore the most odious sign, of advancing years. Despite advances not only in hearing aid technology but also hearing aid design, hearing aids are still associated with age more than other accessories such as glasses and wheelchairs.

The survey demonstrated that fear of admitting to hearing loss was among the top three reasons people who have hearing loss have chosen not to seek the proven treatment of hearing aids.

The most recent data suggests nearly 34.25 million Americans experience some degree of hearing loss (2009, Better Hearing Institute) – and it isn’t always about age. Hearing professionals are seeing patients in their 20s and 30s who’ve experienced hearing loss thanks to MP3players, ear buds and the general level of noise that surrounds us morning, noon and night.

In the UK and the United States, only 25% of those who would benefit from hearing aid technology actually employ these life-enhancing devices.

So what it is about hearing aids that persons continue to choose silence over hearing the rich sounds of life? Why is it that hearing aids scream old age, even if they are now winning design awards left and right for their innovative appearances and technology.

More findings from the Hear the World survey:

•World wide, 700 million people have some degree of hearing loss. I SAID 700 MILLION OF US HAVE HEARING LOSS! Sorry for shouting at you. Just trying to pierce the void.
•Hearing aids are associated with old age more than eyewear, wheelchairs, crutches and canes.
•Hearing aid technology has made incredible strides in just the past 10 years with the introduction of digital technology – the same technology used in computers, stoves, microwaves, the iPhone and the Mars rovers that are still sending back data the last time I checked – after four years. Digital tech has changed life as we know it on Earth AND Mars.
•In the US 88% of the survey respondents said they’d wear a hearing aid if necessary, yet only 25% actually follow through, by seeing a hearing professional and using hearing aids. We may talk a good game, but there’s no follow through.
“Hearing loss and the solutions available to treat it have long been misunderstood, and the survey findings point to exactly that,” said Dr. Craig Kasper, Hear the World spokesperson and chief audiology officer of Audio Help Associates of Manhattan. “Hearing aids have come a long way and it is important to the well being of those with hearing loss that these misperceptions be addressed. In fact, recent technology advances have made it possible for those who need a hearing aid to wear their devices with ease and confidence.”

What You Don’t Know (or Hear) Can Hurt You
Today, hearing aids come in a variety of styles, shapes and configurations but they all have something in common – they ain’t your grandpa’s hearing aid, you know that big clunky thing with a tangle of wires hooked into something the size of a loaf of bread.

Nope, today, hearing aids are smaller, more powerful, more automated and deliver a lot of features in tiny sleek casings.

Hearing Aid Technology MarchesOn
Quick step, double time.

The first hearing aids were nothing more than big ol’ funky trumpets that had all the appeal of a root canal. Introduced in the 1700s, these devices weren’t very effective, they weren’t portable and, yeah, they made you look, feel and act old.

In the 1920s, technological advances made smaller hearing aids possible. You could carry one in a purse or pocket, but you still had that tangle of wires to connect your ear to the hearing amplifier in your pocket. Pretty unattractive, but a big improvement over the trumpet shaped hearing devices from the 1700s.

In the 1940s, hearing aids were small enough to fit in a short pocket. Okay, we’re making progress, but these devices still didn’t offer the discrete profile people wanted so you still LOOKED old. Oh, and a lot of these analog devices screeched, hummed and yowled every time you talked on the rotary dial land line. (Anyone remember those? Show of hands?)

The 60s rolled around and the first behind-the-ear hearing aids became available. Okay, things are getting better, but the world still saw those hearing aids and wrongly assumed that you were broken, old and out of touch.

Hearing Aids in the New Millennium

The Hear the World survey identifies numerous misconceptions about hearing aids – everything from their size to their functionality. We’ve come a long way in just a few years thanks to the introduction of digital circuitry, wireless connectivity and changing attitudes about hearing aid use.

Today, if you experience hearing loss, you can opt for a completely in the canal device that slips into the ear canal and is completely invisible. These low profile devices appeal to those of us who want to keep our hearing loss secret. Fair enough, given the misconceptions identified by the Phonak report.

Then there are open-fit behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids and R-I-Cs – receiver in the canal hearing aids. Yep they’re not completely invisible but they don’t have flashing lights that make you stand out in the crowd. Both provide a more natural listening experience employing open ear technology.

Most hearing aid manufacturers recognize the stigma associated with hearing aid wear and have done all kinds of technology stuff to hide the hearing aids completely or make ‘em shine like you just don’t care what the world thinks. Yep, you have earned every wrinkle and you take pride that you’re still playing the game.

Easy On the Ears
What’s more, today’s hearing aids deliver a full slate of convenience features that simplify hearing aid use. Check out these goodies:

Today’s hearing aids are lightweight, increasing wearing comfort – even during those 18-hour days at the office. You won’t be fidgeting to get the right fit.

With digital, you hear the full range of sound from the high notes to the thunderous bass. Hearing aids today adapt automatically to a variety of listening environments. YOU don’t adapt to your hearing aids, they adapt to you. Heck, some of these smart machines even learn your personal preferences so the longer you wear them, the more “you” they become. Very sweet and cool.

Manual overrides are simple using discreet, wireless volume controls tucked in your suit pocket so you don’t draw attention to yourself. Some even enable you to increase or decrease sound levels simply by swiping the casing thanks to touch technology.

Even entry-level hearing aids come with automated squelch tech that reduces feedback so you don’t have to unplug to answer the phone. Feedback is a thing of the past.

Wireless connectivity is also available on better, albeit higher-priced models, so you can stay connected to your cell phone directly through your hearing aids. You’ll never miss a customer call even when you’re out of the office.

Let’s Cut to the Chase
There are loads of misconceptions associated with hearing aids. They’re uncomfortable. (Wrong) They’re conspicuous. (Wrong, again) They make you look old (Nope). They’re big and clunky (No way, not anymore.)

You get the idea. As technological advances have been integrated into today’s high-tech hearing aids, they’re smaller, they’re more comfortable, they deliver a better quality sound and they’re deep in features.

So, if you’ve noticed that the volume on the car radio is slowly increasing, visit a hearing professional for a hearing evaluation to see what’s going on in there.

And be prepared for a pleasant surprise. Hearing aids improve life’s quality – and make you look good as they do. Call today. You’ll like what you hear.

Contributor
Kristi Albers M.A. Managing Editor, Healthy Hearing

Source: Healthy Hearing
Copyright 2010, HealthyHearing
Reprinted with permission.

REQUEST DESERT HEARING CARE’S FREE SPECIAL REPORT “HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HEARING CARE PROFESSIONAL” BY CLICKING HERE!

Washington, DC, February 8, 2010 – The number of Americans with hearing loss has grown to more than 34 million – roughly 11 percent of the U.S. population – according to a new study of close to 50,000 homes published by the Better Hearing Institute (BHI). The study found that over the last generation, hearing loss among Americans has increased at a rate of 160 percent of U.S. population growth and is one of the most commonly unaddressed health conditions in America today. The prevalence of hearing loss over the last 20 years has grown from 266 to 295 people per thousand U.S. households.

“More Americans than ever before are suffering with hearing loss,” says Sergei Kochkin, PhD, executive director of BHI. “But we treat hearing loss like a neglected orphan in today’s healthcare system.”

He adds: “Our healthcare gatekeepers continue to overlook the importance of hearing health. We still don’t have a universal hearing loss screening program for children or adults in America. And the historical incidence of physician screening for hearing loss has been low.”

According to the survey, fewer than 15 percent of those who received a physical exam in the last year said they received a hearing screening by their physician or nurse during that exam.

“Untreated hearing loss reduces earning power, disrupts relationships, and causes a wide array of psychological problems,” says Kochkin. “Yet, the vast majority of doctors in today’s healthcare system don’t include hearing health as a routine part of annual exams—despite the fact that more than 95 percent of those with hearing loss could benefit from hearing aids.”

According to the study, only 4 in 10 people with moderate-to-severe hearing loss use hearing aids. Even fewer with mild hearing loss use them – just 1 in 10. In fact, most people surveyed who use hearing aids waited nearly seven years after they initially learned about their hearing loss to obtain a hearing aid, and that was after they’d lost so much hearing that their quality of life was affected.

The study found that for those who do choose to use hearing aids, the most common reasons cited were the perception that their hearing loss was getting worse (55.4%) and the influence of family members (51%). Fewer than 7 percent said their family doctor influenced their decision to use a hearing aid.

According to the survey, hearing aid users are more likely to have hearing loss in both ears (87%), difficulty hearing in noise (66%), difficulty hearing normal speech across a room without visual cues (64%), and perceive that their hearing loss is severe or profound (40%). (For hearing loss populations by state, see Appendix A.)

By the time someone has lost speech communication, they’ve already lost less audible sounds such as the more subtle sounds of nature and music – like singing birds, croaking frogs, children’s voices, and the intricacies of classical music. (To experience how sensorineural hearing losses affect hearing, visit BHI’s Hearing Loss Simulator at www.betterhearing.org/.)

“Unaddressed hearing loss silently creeps into virtually every aspect of daily living and seriously erodes quality of life,” explains Kochkin. “The issue of moving a person from admission of their hearing loss, to recognition of the problems hearing loss causes in their lives, to positive action to treat their hearing loss, is extremely complex and multi-dimensional. Early education to achieve recognition of hearing loss and information on the value of hearing healthcare must remain priorities for the foreseeable future.”

The effects of untreated hearing loss can be especially devastating for children. Even a mild hearing loss can have a negative impact on language competence, cognitive development, social and emotional well-being, and academic achievement.

Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions, including irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension, stress, depression, avoidance or withdrawal from social situations, social rejection and loneliness, reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety, impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks, reduced job performance and earning power, and diminished psychological and overall health. Six out of ten Americans with hearing loss are below retirement age.

Findings from the study, MarkeTrak VIII: 25-Year Trends in the Hearing Health Market, were based on a screening survey sent to 80,000 households in the National Family Opinion panel; detailed survey information was completed in early 2009 by 3,174 hearing aid owners and by 4,345 people with hearing loss who had not yet adopted hearing aids. The study covers 25-year trends in the hearing-impaired population including hearing loss prevalence, hearing aid adoption rates, hearing loss screenings during a physical exam, distribution of hearing aids, hearing loss characteristics of hearing aid owners and non-adopters, new hearing aid adopters, and the demography of hearing aid owners and non-adopters.

A full copy of the study can be downloaded at www.betterhearing.org (under publications).

Taken from www.betterhearing.org/.

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