Do I Need a Hearing Aid?

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A year ago, Suzanne had a hearing test. The results indicated she might need a hearing aid, but it was the "might" that kept her from getting one. Over the next year she found herself turning the volume on the TV up a little louder. She began missing parts of conversations in noisy rooms or loud restaurants, or completely misunderstanding what people were saying to her. The time came to once again ask herself, "Do I need a hearing aid?"

This time Suzanne decided to take a very thorough hearing test with Bill Austin of Starkey Labs in Minnesota, the pioneers of the In-the-ear hearing aid. Suzanne’s hope is that by watching her go through this process, others who can benefit from a hearing aid will overcome their embarrassment and not delay in taking action.

Hearing Loss

Did you know that hearing loss affects 1 in 10 Americans? But it doesn’t have to burden your lifestyle. With today’s advanced technology, those with hearing loss have a good chance for comfort.

Our hearing actually works in our brain, not in our ears. The ears collect sound cues to send to the brain, and these sound cues come in three dimensions: level, frequency and timing. Hearing aids can now preserve more of these 3 dimensions to improve the quality of hearing.

Some hearing aids are so small that they barely show and are well into the ear. If you think you may have any hearing loss, consult your family physician, an ENT Specialist or a Hearing Professional.

Are You All Ears?

Although each person’s degree of hearing loss differs from the next, there are signs to look for to determine the severity. For example, is it frustrating when the television volume seems fine to you, yet everyone else complains that it is too loud? You could have some hearing loss.

Starkey Labs lists the following signs when looking for hearing loss in others:

• They appear to hear people talk but have difficulty understanding some of the words.
• They’re constantly asking people to repeat themselves.
• They have a hard time understanding women and children’s voices.
• They have a hard time understanding in a crowd.
• It’s hard for them to understand on the phone.
• They favor one ear over the other.
• They complain of a ringing sensation in one or both ears.
• They often appear uncomfortable in social occasions they used to enjoy.
• They seem withdrawn, depressed or irritable.
• Other friends or family members have noticed their difficulty hearing.

After realizing it was necessary, Suzanne stepped up to the plate and decided to get a hearing test. The first step in Suzanne’s hearing test was the Audiology exam. The purpose of this exam is to determine the extent of hearing loss, if any. Suzanne had to wear a set of earphones, listen to a recording and repeat the last word of a series of sentences. It was discovered that Suzanne was a good candidate for hearing aids.

Next, Mr. Austin examined Suzanne’s inner ears and took impressions of each using a silicone-like material that automatically takes shape of the ear. Then the lab took over and created shells to fit Suzanne’s ears. Inside the shells, they installed the latest digital technology.

Once Suzanne put the hearing aids in, they had to be programmed. Mr. Austin used a monitor to adjust the frequencies of the hearing aids while Suzanne listened. Finally, she could see the results on paper and went home with a brand new set of ears.