On April 3-6, 2013, four of our audiologists participated in AudiologyNOW!, the American Academy of Audiology's annual conference, in Anaheim, California. It is the world’s largest gathering of audiologists, with audiologists from throughout the United States and the world attending. The symposium provides participants with seminars in audiological research relating to recent studies in both hearing and balance (vestibular). In addition, a vast exhibit hall houses demonstrations of the latest in hearing technology.
Self-Evaluation:
So how does one decide? The first step is for the person with the suspected hearing loss to perform an honest self-evaluation. Consider the following:
How often do I really have difficulty hearing and understanding what is being said?
This means not only noting how often you ask the speaker to repeat what was said, but also the times you smile and nod when you don’t know what a person is saying…or when you laugh without getting the punch line…or when you “tune out” because you cannot follow the conversation….or when you change the channel because you can’t understand a certain speaker. Ask your spouse, children, friends or co-workers how often they have noticed you having difficulty with communication. Tell them you want an honest appraisal. See our website page: “Do I Need a Hearing Aid?” for a personal hearing loss questionnaire.
Most hearing losses involve damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve and are referred to as sensorineural hearing loss. It is sometimes described as “nerve damage” or “nerve deafness”. Unfortunately, sensorineural losses are not usually medically reversible. Numerous causes such as genetic conditions, noise exposure, viruses, and health problems can contribute to sensorineural hearing loss.
In order to understand your hearing loss, you should become familiar with two aspects of hearing which are charted on your audiogram. One is intensity—also referred to as decibel level (dB) or hearing sensitivity measure. This represents the loudness of the sound. The other aspect is frequency—also referred to as Hertz (Hz) or cycles per second (CPS). This represents the pitch of sound.
1.Do you find yourself feeling insecure communicating at work and in social situations?
2.Are you tuning out or falling asleep at group meetings?
3.Do you struggle to understand speech?
4.Are family and friends suggesting you get help?
If you find yourself saying “YES” to these questions, you may have a mild hearing loss. The time to get help is now!
Follow us on our upcoming FOUR part “Educational Blog” series and learn more.