Addressing Hearing Loss: Don’t ‘Fall’ Behind on Your Hearing Health

As fall approaches, it’s a perfect moment to prioritize your hearing health, ensuring you remain fully engaged with the world around you. If you’ve been noticing changes in your hearing, like struggling in conversations or needing to turn up the volume, it’s advisable to arrange a hearing evaluation. Early detection of hearing loss can be a key factor in preserving your auditory abilities. Furthermore, consulting with an audiologist can lead to tailored solutions that cater to your individual needs, whether it involves hearing aids or other beneficial devices.

What Are the Signs of Hearing Loss?

Because hearing loss is gradual, it is often not obvious at first. However, there are a few telltale signs that you can look out for:

• • Do people talk about the volume of your TV or music? Have you noticed yourself turning it up to a higher level in recent years? This could be a sign that your hearing is starting to decline.
  • Do you often find yourself asking people to repeat themselves? Is it becoming harder to follow conversations in busy places where you previously had no problem conversing? This could be another sign that you’re starting to experience hearing loss.
  • Have you started to regularly miss phone calls or deliveries because you didn’t hear the phone or doorbell ringing? Do you find yourself sleeping through your alarm more often? These could be other signs that your hearing is declining.
  • Do you find telephone calls challenging because you can’t hear people on the other end clearly? Can they hear you clearly? If it’s not the sound on the phone, it could be your hearing.

What Does a Hearing Test Involve?

A hearing test involves sitting in a room with a pair of headphones on. A series of sounds are then played through the headphones at different frequencies and volumes. You have to then press a button or clap to demonstrate that you have heard each sound. The results of this test are then plotted on an audiogram. From these results, an audiologist can work out which frequencies you can hear clearly and which ones are less sharp.

What Happens Next?

If you are able to hear every sound, it means that you do not have hearing loss – in which case you do not need a hearing aid. If you were unable to hear certain sounds, it is likely that you have some form of hearing loss. Your audiologist will talk to you about the severity of hearing loss you have.

An audiologist will help you to select a style of hearing aid and then run you through how to use it. They will adjust it so that it is the right prescription for your hearing. You can then take it home and start wearing it. An audiologist will run through any maintenance beforehand so that you know how to care for your hearing aid including cleaning it and changing batteries.

Hearing aids can take a little while to get used to, but you should notice some instant improvements if your hearing loss was already noticeable beforehand. Occasionally hearing aids need to be readjusted or upgraded. Talk with your audiologist and schedule another appointment if you think you need to readjust or upgrade your hearing aid. They will be able to make the adjustments you need.

Schedule a Hearing Test This Fall

At Salyer Hearing Center, we can run a hearing test for you and help you decide whether you need a hearing aid. You can schedule a hearing test here on our website. You can also call us at Sylva: 828-586-7474, Franklin: 828-524-5599 or Murphy: 828-835-1014 speak to a member of our friendly team if you would prefer to schedule an appointment this way. We look forward to hearing from you!