Q: I hear some voices very well, but struggle with others. Does that mean that I need hearing aids?
Often the onset of hearing loss is gradual, making it difficult to notice small decreases over time. Usually family members notice hearing loss first, so listen to your family's input.
Hearing loss often occurs in the higher frequencies first, so female voices and children's voices are noticeably harder to hear, especially in background noise. So you feel like you still hear okay because you hear everything when it's quiet. There are enough redundancies in speech for you to "fill in the blanks" temporarily when hearing loss first occurs. But the sooner you start wearing hearing aids, the better your quality of life becomes. If you deprive yourself of the benefits of hearing aids, then the hearing nerve will deteriorate more rapidly making it more difficult to process speech information. It is similar to a muscle that is not used that will atrophy. "If you don't use it, you lose it!" The same is true for the hearing nerve. When it is not stimulated or deprived of sound for a number of years, it makes wearing hearing aids less beneficial later on. I see this often among those in their 80's and 90's who have finally decided to try hearing aids after living with hearing loss for 20 or more years.
Hearing loss also causes isolation from social situations often without the individual realizing it, which can lead to depression, or decreased cognitive and memory skills. So if you are having trouble or your loved ones think you are, it is important to have your hearing tested. |
Q: Once I lose my hearing, can it ever be normal again or restored to normal with hearing aids?
Sensorineural hearing loss is a permanent type of hearing loss with damage in the cochlea (the hearing mechanism in the inner ear) and/or the hearing nerve, so normal hearing can never be restored, even with a hearing aid. If it is a conductive hearing loss, it involves the efficiency of the sound as it is being transmitted (this occurs in the outer and middle ear), and as long as you can overcome the decrease in volume, you should be able to correct the loss to normal. However, conductive hearing losses can often be medically treated, in which case, hearing aids will not be necessary. A mixed hearing loss is a combination of conductive and sensorineural.
Hearing aids will help all of the above-mentioned hearing losses. The level of benefit will depend on the severity of the hearing loss, the speech understanding, the complexity of the listener's environment and most importantly, the patient's motivation. |
Q: I have been told by some of my friends and former coworkers that if I worked around noise, I can file a hearing loss claim for help with hearing aids. Is that possible?
If your hearing loss is determined to be caused from working around loud noise, then yes, the state, the federal government, or the insurance company that covers your employer may authorize hearing aids if your hearing loss claim is accepted. It is a process, however, and it can take three months to three years to get a claim approved depending on the circumstances, your work history, and the years of exposure. If you have been retired for several years, or have not been exposed to noise on the job for several years, there may be a statute of limitations in place that will limit the time you have to file a claim.
Your hearing loss will indicate damage to the high frequencies. We recommend a hearing evaluation by an audiologist to help determine if filing a claim would be beneficial. The audiologist will refer you to an appropriate physician to initiate the claim.
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Q: I hear so many people talk about "digital" hearing aids. Some people really like them and some don't. What are the differences between digital and analog hearing aid technology?
Analog hearing aids amplify speech and noise information indiscriminately at the frequencies that are set up to provide amplification. However, most background noise is low frequency in nature, so if the hearing aid has any low frequency amplification, it is often bothersome to the wearer, and it often masks out important speech information. The wearer will sometimes take the hearing aids out if it gets too noisy. We hear stories about a lot of these hearing aids ending up in a drawer.
Digital hearing aids provide a great deal more comfort in noisy listening situations, and through their sophisticated processing capabilities, provide patients with much more satisfaction and better hearing outcomes. There are a number of different types of digital hearing aids out on the market now, which makes them more affordable to some, but may not process the sound as well as another product for a particular patient. It is best to discuss this with an audiologist after having your hearing tested and your communication needs assessed. Also beware of advertising that sounds too good to be true, because it often is.
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Q: My husband needs hearing aids, but he doesn't think he has a problem. How can I help motivate him? The television is too loud and is driving me out of the house!
I think it would be helpful to contact an audiologist who is not going to pressure your spouse into buying hearing aids. Just tell the audiologist or receptionist that he does not seem ready to try them and then he/she will know how to approach him with information.
Then have your husband come in just to have a test. Let him know that it will simply tell him how he is hearing. If need be, contact his physician and ask him/her to support the recommendation.
All bases are then covered for him to have a hearing test and have his hearing loss explained to him in a way that gives him as much information as he can absorb. I recommend that you attend the appointment with him. Then the audiologist can give both of you information and literature to discuss and review later. As a result, he won't feel pressured into making a decision. He can feel in control of making his own informed decision after giving it some thought. If that alone does not work, you can utilize other family members as a resource to help him understand the impact his hearing loss has on those around him. Sometimes children and grandchildren are the best motivation for taking that step into wearing hearing aids.
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Q: How do loud sounds damage hearing?
When a sound is loud enough to damage your hearing, it damages the cochlea in the inner ear. The cochlea is a bony, fluid filled sensory organ shaped like a snail shell that has tiny hair cells that represent the frequencies that we hear similarly to the keys on a piano. High pitches or high frequencies are represented on the basal end or the outermost area and are damaged first by noise-induced hearing loss because they are closer to the noise source. The low frequencies are represented on the apical end of the cochlea and are the last to be damaged by loud noise exposure.
Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable so it is important to protect your hearing. A good rule of thumb to use is the following: If you have to shout to hear someone standing an arm's length away from you, you are probably being exposed to a noise that is too loud and you should be wearing hearing protection. Wearing hearing protection is sometimes a hassle, but we see people everyday that would gladly go through the hassle, just to have their hearing back.
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Q: I wear hearing aids, but sometimes in church or in movie theaters the sound is just too loud. That really bothers me. Why is that?
Frequently when people have a hearing loss, they have a reduced dynamic range of hearing. That means that the level at which that sound becomes audible, the level between comfortable and uncomfortable is a much smaller range than it is for someone with normal hearing. Generally, the longer you have hearing loss, the more sensitive you become to loud sounds, or the narrower your dynamic range of hearing is. This is called recruitment.
If you are in a situation that is too loud, you should mention it to the coordinators of the event. If they cannot make adjustments to the sound, you may need to turn down your hearing aids if possible, or take them out. Sometimes just taking one out is helpful. If the sound still bothers you, see your audiologist for an adjustment to make your hearing aids more comfortable in loud environments.
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Q: How often does a person need to replace their hearing aids?
This is different for everyone. Some people keep their hearing aids for three years before replacing them and others replace them after seven years or more. The average life of a hearing aid is five years; however, in the last three years, improvements in digital technology have been so great that some people feel the need to replace them more frequently in order to keep up-to-date so as not to miss out on the important sounds of life. The prices have also decreased giving more people the opportunity to take advantage of good technology at a lower price.
As a hearing aid ages, the receivers and microphones have a tendency to break down from moisture, wax and dry skin. When the components break down, the hearing aid either won't work properly or it may not work at all. Then it has to be repaired. When repaired, it makes the aid more vulnerable to future repairs because all the tiny connections wear out over time. |
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