Holidays Hard On Those With Untreated Hearing Loss
December 10, 2009
West Palm Beach, Fla — For many of the millions of Americans with hearing impairment, especially the 27 million living with untreated hearing loss, the holidays may not be all that happy, says audiologist Cindy Beyer, senior VP of HearUSA. Beyer said studies have linked hearing loss to stress, frustration, and social isolation, “which can easily be intensified at holiday gatherings with families and friends, when many of those with hearing impairment may find conversations both difficult and isolating.
“Hearing loss is often labeled ‘the invisible handicap’ because there are no outward signs of a handicap or limitations,” said Beyer. “As a result, we are unlikely to be aware that accommodations may be necessary to avoid a breakdown in communication.”
Beyer suggests the following for making holiday meals and celebrations more comfortable and enjoyable for people with hearing impairment, and for the those around them:
- Speak clearly and distinctly, but not too fast, and never shout.
- If you’re asked to repeat something, do so without raising your voice and appearing annoyed.
- If your comment or question is still not being understood after repetition, reword it. Some words are easier to understand than others.
- In a group situation, be sure that the person is included in the conversation. If not, bring him or her back in.
- When speaking, look directly at the person and try not to be more than five feet apart.
- Your facial expressions and gestures and your overall body language are important aids in communicating, so try to be sure that you have the listener’s attention and that the room is well lit.
- Conversation is greatly enhanced when there is no distracting background noise from a radio or TV.
- When dining out, choose a quiet restaurant. Noisy conversations and the clatter of dishes and tableware in a crowded dining area are barriers to effective communication.
- Ask if there is anything you can do to make communication easier. For example, conversation will be much easier to understand in a room with carpeting and well-upholstered furniture than in a room with tiled floors, high ceilings, or wooden furniture.
While almost all hearing loss can be successfully treated with hearing aids, only 25% of the 36 million Americans with hearing loss have them, according to the Better Hearing Institute, which notes that most hearing aid users report significant improvement in their interpersonal relationships and social lives.
“Today’s digital hearing aids are smaller, smarter, and more comfortable than ever before,” said Beyer. “I can think of no greater gift during the holiday season than encouraging a loved one or a friend with untreated hearing loss to consider the impact they could have on their lives.”
SOURCE: HearUSA
Study Finds Family Members Play Critical Role In Addressing Loved Ones’ Hearing Loss
December 8, 2009
The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is urging families across America to make 2010 the year they help a loved one address hearing loss. The call to action comes in response to new data that underscores the influence family members have in getting loved ones to address hearing loss. According to a recent BHI survey of nearly 47,000 households, more than half (51%) of new first-time owners of hearing aids indicated that family members were a key factor influencing their purchase of a hearing aid in 2008. Fifty-five percent of new hearing aids users sought treatment once they realized through testing how serious their hearing loss was. BHI is offering practical tips on how to best help family members and is providing a free, confidential, on-line hearing test at www.hearingcheck.org where they can check their hearing in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.
According to Sergei Kochkin, PhD, executive director of BHI, lack of hearing loss testing and denial pose significant barriers to the improved well-being of people with unaddressed hearing loss: “Half of people with untreated hearing loss simply aren’t aware of their hearing loss and the impact it has on their lives and the lives of their loved ones―while others deny or minimize their known hearing loss.”
“To compensate for hearing loss,” Kochkin continues, “people in denial often ask those around them to repeat information at greater volume, unintentionally compelling their loved ones to act as their ears. Yet acting as ears for someone with hearing loss in denial can actually do more harm than good. It enables the hearing loss to have a continued negative impact on numerous aspects of the individual’s quality of life.”
Hearing loss is one of the most commonly unaddressed health conditions in America today, and affects more than 34 million Americans. Six out of ten Americans with hearing loss are below retirement age. Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions, including irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension, stress, depression, avoidance or withdrawal from social situations, social rejection and loneliness, reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety, impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks, reduced job performance and earning power, and diminished psychological and overall health.
“Helping a loved one who isn’t willing to help himself is one of the most painful challenges a family can face,” says Kochkin. “And helping a family member deal with hearing loss is no exception. But the most loving course you can take with someone in denial over their hearing loss is to help them come to terms with it so they seek treatment.”
In his book, “How Hearing Loss Impacts Relationships: Motivating Your Loved One,” BHI advisor Dr. Richard Carmen offers practical advice on how “hearing helpers” can help their loved ones overcome denial and seek treatment for their hearing loss:
First, understand that although you may think your efforts are loving and helpful, acting as ears for someone you love is actually counter-productive. With you to act as their ears, why would they seek treatment for their hearing loss?
Stop repeating yourself, raising your voice, and acting as messenger. Rather, involve the entire family in your efforts to help your loved one hear independently of your help. A concerted effort can help your loved one finally admit s/he has a hearing problem.
Explain to your loved one with hearing lossâin a calm, loving voice without condemnationâthat you will no longer repeat yourselves or raise your voices. Instead, when s/he asks for information to be repeated at greater volume, you will use words like “Hearing Helper” or some other signal to alert him that he is relying on someone else to act as his ears. By doing this, you help him realize how often he has to ask for help to hear. Hopefully, the inescapable realization will finally move him to seek treatment for his hearing loss.
“When a family member experiences unaddressed hearing loss, it silently erodes his quality of life—undermining family relationships, interfering with short-term memory, and creeping into virtually every aspect of daily living,” says Kochkin. “I encourage anyone who has a loved one with unaddressed hearing loss to make the most self-less New Year’s resolution you’ve ever made. Reach out and stop your loved one from drawing back in isolated silence. Make 2010 the year you help someone you love regain the gift of sound. It’s a New Year’s resolution well worth keeping.”
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To learn more about hearing loss and effective treatments, visit the Better Hearing Institute’s Web site at www.BetterHearing.org.
Founded in 1973, The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) conducts research and engages in hearing health education with the goal of helping people with hearing loss to benefit from proper treatment. To receive a free copy of BHI’s 28-page booklet “Your Guide to Better Hearing,” visit its website at www.betterhearing.org, or call the Better Hearing Institute hotline at 1-800-EAR-WELL.
VIDEO: Our First Testimonial Commercial Featuring Actual Customers!
September 1, 2009
We’re proud to present our very first “Testimonial Commercial” featuring some of our actual Customers (none of whom were paid), in this video produced by Scott Schaefer (another Customer and Publisher of The B-Town Blog):
5th Annual Dry Brik Sale Goes Through September!
July 30, 2009
As a part of our comprehensive program to keep our patients hearing as well as possible, Highline Audiology provides a Dry and Store hearing aid conditioning appliance with new hearing instruments.
This device employs a small fan that circulates warm air, drawing moisture from the instruments and a Dry Brik desiccant that absorbs moisture and odors. An ultra-violet light kills germs and sanitizes the hearing aids. Each Dry Brik lasts two months.
Our patients look forward to our annual sale, and it is on now!
If you have hearing aids and you don’t have a Dry and Store, you can buy one at our office to protect your investment. The Dry and Store will remove damaging moisture and humidity from your hearing aids, make it easier to clean wax from the aids, and can reduce itching in your ears.
Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act Re-Introduced
July 30, 2009
The Hearing Aid Tax Credit has been reintroduced in the House, and the Senate will soon follow! Please write your Members of Congress and ask them to support this important legislation!
You most likely know someone who has a hearing loss. Whether it affects a relative, child, friend or co-worker, or even yourself, hearing loss is a prevalent and often neglected concern. Hearing loss affects over 30 million Americans or 1 in every 10 people; in fact, it’s the second most common birth defect. Despite these staggering numbers and the fact that hearing aids could treat 95% of all hearing loss, Medicare and most insurance policies do not pay for hearing aids, making treatment an expensive endeavor. The Hearing Aid Tax Credit is legislation drafted with these real concerns in mind. If enacted, it would provide a $500 tax credit per hearing aid available once every 5 years for dependents and for those aged 55 and older.
Investing in better hearing, including fitting and follow-up, hearing aid treatment can result in unexpectedly high costs for the average American. The tax credit would help millions of people seeking hearing aid treatment. $1,000 ($500 per ear) can make the difference when deciding whether you can afford treatment. The tax credit has wide bi-partisan support, is supported by nearly every hearing health organization and advocacy group, and addresses a real and too often ignored healthcare need. Your support is needed, however, to let your Senators and Representative know that the Hearing Aid Tax Credit would make a real difference in your life. So please, contact your Congressmen and tell them how the Hearing Aid Tax Credit could help you.
To let Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and your Representative in the House know you support this legislation, you can go to the website: www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org.
Or you can call our office (206-246-8677) for their addresses and phone numbers.
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March 16, 2009
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FREE Hearing Screening/Consultation Event March 17-19th!
March 13, 2009
Highline Audiology will be holding a special event from Tuesday March 17th through Thursday March 19th:
- FREE Hearing Screening
- FREE Consultation
- FREE Demonstration of Dual
- FREE No-Risk Trial of Dual
Tuesday through Thursday, March 17th, 18th, & 19th, 2009.
Call (206) 246-8677 to reserve your appointment!
Also, don’t forget to view our interactive video on hearing loss.
Hearing Loss Association Of America – A Resource For People With Hearing Loss
March 8, 2009
The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is the nation’s foremost membership and advocacy organization for people with hearing loss, providing information, education, support and advocacy. Their message is clear: Hearing loss is a daily challenge you can overcome. You do not have to hide your hearing loss. You do not have to face hearing loss alone.
The national network includes 14 state organizations, and 200 local chapters, about a dozen of which are in Washington. Members receive Hearing Loss Magazine from the national association 6 times a year. Recent issues have had articles with titles including: ‘Revisiting the Perennial Question: What is the “Best” Hearing Aid’ and ‘Cutting the Phone Cord for the Hearing Loss Community.’
The Washington State organization has a quarterly publication called Sound Waves which provides practical information for telephone access and TV listening, as well as personal stories of people who have faced and overcome hearing challenges. Sound Waves also provides information on local chapters. You can pick up the most recent copy at Highline Audiology, or get it online at the state website: www.hearingloss-wa.org
After a 2 month interruption, the West Seattle chapter has started meeting at a new time and a new place. The meetings will be at 1:30 to 2:30 pm on the third Wednesday of each month from January through May and September through December.
They will be held at:
West Seattle Christian Church
4400 42nd Ave SW (SE corner of 42nd and SW Genesee)
The next meeting, on February 18th will feature Penny Allen, President of HLAA of Washington.
For more information, please contact:
- David R. Kietzke at 206.932.7538
- Jack Eldridge at 206.937.5996
Get $200 Off A Pair Of Digital Hearing Aids!
March 8, 2009
Get Winter Savings at Highline Audiology – receive $200 off a pair of digital hearing aids!
Call today to schedule your free screening and test-drive:
206-246-8677
(Expires March 31, 2009)
Hearing Aids Offer Hope For Tinnitus Sufferers
March 8, 2009
Hearing aids can offer hope of better hearing for people who suffer from tinnitus (ringing in the ears.)
According to a recent survey conducted by the non-profit educational organization Better Hearing Institute (BHI) a survey of 230 hearing health professionals in the United States and Canada found that six out of ten patients reported some relief of their tinnitus when using hearing aids and two of ten reported major relief.
Past BHI research that found that nearly 9 million American adults with hearing loss have not sought a solution to their hearing problem simply because they also have tinnitus and mistakenly believe that nothing can be done about it.
Tinnitus (pronounced “tin-i-tus” or “tin-eye-tus”) is a ringing, buzzing, or humming in one or both ears that has no external source. It can be intermittent or constant, but for many who suffer from it, tinnitus is so intrusive that it has a debilitating effect on their quality of life. Some 50 million Americans suffer from tinnitus, and for 12 million the problem is so severe that it affects their everyday lives, influencing basic life functions such as socialization and relaxation.
Despite the high prevalence of tinnitus and the disruption it can cause, only a small number of sufferers contact their physicians or an audiologist for help. One reason is they mistakenly believe tinnitus is untreatable. Many physicians, who are not well-educated on tinnitus or on the latest treatment options, compound the problem by inappropriately telling their patients who complain of tinnitus to just go home and learn to live with it.
“No one should ever ignore persistent tinnitus,” Kochkin said. “Not only is every individual entitled to a chance to regain their quality of life, but in rare cases tinnitus also can be a symptom of a more serious health issue that could demand medical intervention. What’s more, nearly everyone with tinnitus has hearing loss as well.”
For years, Scott Schaefer, publisher/editor of The B-Town Blog (www.b-townblog.com) suffered from tinnitus and hearing loss in his right ear as the result of standing too near a speaker at a music event. Highline audiologist, Rebecca Grady evaluated Scott’s hearing and programmed an Oticon Dual hearing aid for him to test-drive. After a fine-tuning session, Scott declared the test a success: the amplification seemed to penetrate the “curtain” of buzzing that had fogged his ability to hear for such a long time, enabling him to hear his children in the car, and reduce the number of times he asked people to repeat. He declares that less buzzing and better hearing have made him “a happier person.”
Andria Reid-Caro, Eileen Freed,