How Should I Talk for Help with Hearing Problems
It may seem daunting initially when communicating with others when you have impaired hearing ability. You have to cross that bridge if you have to get to where you want to be, right? To get you to talk with others, here are a few advice you can read and think about and practice well.
Have the Resolve
Self-confidence in your disability is like a shining beacon that illuminates your murky path. Assert yourself and let them know you are hard of hearing and let them understand you might need help. You will wonder at the goodness of people once you do this.
It is also worth mentioning to not let them shout at you or whisper close to your ear. A respectable distance and talking in a clear, normal manner while the person is looking at you directly.
Noise Reduction
It is most advantageous on your part to eliminate a considerable degree of background noise. If you are at home, turn off the television or radio. If you are in a store, locate a less noisy spot wher you can have the conversation.
See the Visuals
You and the person you are talking with must face each other while in conversation. As you listen, try also to understand what words the lips form during utterance. Lip reading is a natural help for you aside from the device in your ear.
In addition, notice also the body language of the person while talking; the nod, shake, elbow raise. To achieve the best, you must have full, unhindered frontal view of the person in a well-lighted section of the place you are in.
Context is acceptable
You do not have to be verbatim in communication with other people. Use context or have a general understand of the gist of the person’s sentences. The essence or the core of the person’s talk is what really matters for you.
Please clarify
If you missed a word or a set phrase, refrain from telling the person you did not hear it. This will let frustration slowly creep into the person speaking and to you as well. Instead, entreat for a clarification like “What colors are available?”
Cool and Collected
Be calm for you to concentrate on your conversation. Accept the fact that you will miss the gist sometimes which is normal consequence of the disability.
If you think you need hearing aids, make sure to get a hearing aid prescription. For more details of our hearing test & assessment, and hearing aid services, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
https://www.hkhearingspeech.com
Cochlear Implants or Hearing Aids – Which is better?
What is a Cochlear Implant
A cochlear implant is an electronic device surgically implanted to excite the cochlear nerve responsible for hearing. It is an assembly of two parts: external and internal.
The external component, which is just behind the ear, contains the microphone picking up sound and is processed and signals are sent to the internal component. The internal component is put under the skin at the back of the ear also and done so in an outpatient surgery procedure.
A thin wire accompanied with electrodes are directed to the cochlea which is a part of the inner ear. The cochlear nerve receives the signals and sends these sound information to the brain to produce sense of sound.
Who can have a Cochlear Implant
Any one with hearing loss, from infant to adult, may opt for this especially those that find no comfort with hearing aids. Those relying on lip reading and even those without hearing aids, but unclear sounds are heard may also be considered for this procedure.
A hearing care specialist is to be consulted before taking any steps further. A cochlear implant may not be right for you and a consultation will provide a clear evaluation of your condition that will pave the way to a definite decision.
Cochlear implants may be partially or fully inserted to the nerve depending on the severity of hearing loss. Partial insert is usually for moderate cases which can be combined with hearing aid. Full insertion is preferred for severe cases of hearing loss.
Situations to Know Before Decision
- After surgery, a regimen of training and rehabilitation is required.
- Cochlear implants do not restore hearing back to normal.
- One may lose whatever natural hearing is left.
- Removal of external part is essential before bathing or swimming.
- The implant can be damaged in an accident or while playing sports.
Risks of Cochlear Implant
The practice for a cochlear implant is generally safe and a well-tolerated surgical procedure. Depending on your medical condition and like all surgeries, there are still risks that exist but can be prevented. Here are a few:
- tinnitus (ringing in the ear);
- infection in the area of implant;
- swelling;
- bleeding;
- implant removal due to infection
- general anesthesia risk
If you wonder if your kids needs a hearing aid or cochlear implant, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre for consulation. We offer professional hearing test & assessment, and hearing aid prescription.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
https://www.hkhearingspeech.com
Brain Atrophy Caused by Untreated Hearing Loss
A Scientific Study
After laying down the groundwork, the best approach to conduct, the test subject qualifications, and the budget for the whole undertaking, a scientific study was conducted in 1994. It had the needed support from, at least five, big health organizations and one foundation.
The study had a time frame of ten consecutive years, a whole decade. It progressed smoothly through the years without any significant glitch. In its conclusion, the study confirmed that untreated hearing loss directly affects the brain in that progressive cerebral tissue loss occurred.
The study distinctly measured the quantity of loss yearly in the amount of an additional one cubic centimeter. This is staggering as it is frightening for all people with hearing impairment. The physical loss of brain tissues also leads to other serious health issues with the brain at the core.
The location of the loss of tissue are all at the temporal gyri, at superior, middle and inferior parts. These locations in the brain is where the functions for sound and speech processing is done. Two of those three parts in the temporal gyri are involved in Alzheimer’s and cognitive impairment.
Inactivity in these parts of the brain leads to elimination of the useless parts. Disabled as it is, disregard for treatment of hearing loss is like a bowling ball that strikes not just one, but many: memory loss, dementia, unrecognizable sound and others that affect your person.
Simple Solution
Hearing loss is not an instant decline for most people; it is gradual in its nature. There are exceptions, of course, like an active duty soldier in proximity to a massive explosion. Whatever the situation or cause, treatment must be sought out in the soonest time.
Even an old, analog type hearing aid will help you not lose those irreplaceable cerebral tissues. Once the loss of tissues start, your brain will not anymore understand the sound it receives. So, at the moment when you do not hear the wind when it is howling in fact, you know now what to do.
Regret will always be and ever does stay at the rear end.
For more details of our hearing test & assessment, and hearing aid prescription, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
https://www.hkhearingspeech.com
How Long Will a Hearing Aid Last?
When the decision is set to get yourself a hearing aid, think of it as a necessary investment just like a car; it gives comfort to your daily life. Proper maintenance and the correct usage of that investment is directly proportional to its life.
With a hearing aid, its lifespan will stretch longer than the average when proper maintenance is observed. And the average lifespan of a hearing aid is between three to seven years which is generally accepted by specialist and manufacturers.
To achieve a longer life for your device, perform the hearing aid maintenance below:
- Circumvent crash, drops, bumps. Hearing aids are compact in manufacture and in its purpose, but it is minute electronics inside. No electronics are indestructible. If you handled your cell phone safely for a couple of years or more, do the same with your ear device.
- Summer cautions to note. The season of sweat is a concern for hearing aids also, and it is advisable to check the battery compartment for moisture and wipe the terminals dry in any case.
Do not leave your aid in direct sunlight or in high temperature enclosures. Such habit will warp the plastic casing and affects severely the fitting into your ear canal.
- Take precautions at beaches. Don’t scamper with glee to the sea; not just yet. Be vigilant of a couple of things first. Beach sand is soft, but it will obstruct your microphone ports which will be difficult to remove.
Seawater is a rust accelerator and does not make any exception of your ear device. Remove your device and keep it safe in its casing if your prime aim is to lengthen its age.
- Chemicals to watch every day. Suntan lotion, alcohol, cosmetics are a few of the many chemical to watch out for. Always remove your device when handling chemicals and dry your hands well before fitting them back.
- Cold weather is not good. The battery of hearing aids is sensitive to cold weather as well. Coming from a cold exterior and entering into a warm interior may result in condensation that leads to rust. Clean the compartment and terminals dry before sleeping.
- Be vigilant of water in any form. Some brands of hearing aids are water-resistant, but water may still stay inside. Daily cleaning is a simple indispensable solution.
For more details of our hearing test & assessment, and hearing aid prescription, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
https://www.hkhearingspeech.com
How to Find the Most Effective Hearing Aid for You
Upon the recommendation of an audiologist, or an otolaryngologist, or even just a hearing aid specialist, that you need to have a hearing aid, it is best to consider several things before you purchase one.
The market is replete with different styles of hearing devices for all ages, infants to seniors.
To resolve your hearing deficiency, your choice will be essentially in coordination with any of the three ear/hearing specialist mentioned earlier.
Ear Professionals
At the top is the physician called an otolaryngologist who focusses on ear, nose, and throat (ENT) complications in a medical sense. These specialized physicians can dispense medical advice with regards to your ear but may not fit hearing aids themselves.
The audiologist, with competence equal to that of the previous, is specific to hearing loss only. They may be found in the clinic of an ENT physician.
The hearing aid specialist may be the least among the three but is certified and as experienced as the preceding two. The road to become one, however, is as varied as the state they may wish to practice in.
Hearing Aid Styles
Right from there, it is all your choice of picking the professional and the hearing aid that best suits you. Luckily for you, the present level of technology has packed many of the features of the analog past to the digital present.
The hearing care professional will suggest a hearing aid for you in consideration of your age and the usual environment you are in. A rural setting is different from an urban one in auditory sense.
There are five styles of hearing aids to chose that conforms to your aesthetics and, of course, your budget. These five are labelled with three initials that tell you where they are located.
- BTE (behind the ear): an inch-long device with a tube into the ear canal as speaker;
- OTE (on the ear): barely noticeable, this is a BTE that sits on the outer ear;
- ITE (in the ear): this is custom fitted to your outer ear but sits inside your ear;
- ITC (in the canal): customized to fit the size and shape of your ear canal, smaller than ITE;
- CIC (completely in the canal): the smallest and closest to the ear drum, and the most expensive of all.
If you think you need hearing aids, make sure to get a hearing aid prescription. For more details of our hearing test & assessment, and hearing aid services, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
https://www.hkhearingspeech.com