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.
There is currently a significant amount of research looking at a possible relationship between dementia and hearing loss. The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) has issued a statement addressing the effects of untreated hearing loss on cognitive processing. According to Sergei Kochkin, PhD, BHI’s Executive Director, “When an individual has both Alzheimer’s and hearing loss, many of the symptoms of hearing loss can interact with those common to Alzheimer’s, making the disease more difficult than it might be if the hearing loss had been addressed.” “By effectively managing the hearing loss with hearing aids, quality of life and ease of communication for both the patient and caregiver can be greatly improved.”