Hearing loss is a problem for many people across all ages. Whether it is diagnosed as mild, moderate, or severe, it causes communication difficulties in everyday lives. This impairment must never be neglected or untreated for what it is since it may lead to complications.
Hearing Aids
These are devices meant to help treat hearing loss that are basically made to amplify sound. Through the many years of its existence, analog hearing devices were introduced first. These were, by then, bulkier and amplified all sounds caught including bothersome noise.
Presently, digital hearing aids flood the market for those in need. These newer devices are leaps of improvement from the analog years in that they have electronic chips inside that fine-tunes the sound from speech and even eliminates background noise in some expensive models.
They are all the same?
If you have seen one, you have seen them all, you might think of hearing aids. They may look the same, but they are not exactly the same; it’s a “yes” and a “no” at the same time.
All hearing aid devices share the same similarity in components. As a whole:
What sets them apart?
The specific differences between hearing aids would fall into three distinct categories, namely:
Sound capture and refinements has made it clearer than before. Some devices can stay immersed in water for a time by purpose.
For severe hearing loss, and even the deaf, the two-component cochlear implant is best.
If you think you need a hearing aid, 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
Some of the subtle warnings of an impending hearing disability include difficulty hearing other people clearly or misunderstanding what they say, especially in noisy places and asking people to repeat themselves; having to listen to music or watch TV with the volume higher than other people need because the person cannot barely hear what was there.
When one is unable to hear clearly, it affects this person’s daily life as well as his physical, psychological and social well being.
In 2013, it was documented that there are 155,200 people who have hearing impairment in Hong Kong. That accounts to 2.2% of the total population of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong had been taking its problem with noise seriously even before the Environmental Protection Department or EPD was established in 1986 with noise reduction as its top priority project all the time.
This is why they have imposed strict regulations on construction noise, noise from commercial and industrial premises and neighbourhood noise. Noticeably, much of the effort is given into preventing noise.
The cramped living conditions, poor planning of the past and economic activities made Hong Kong remain a fairly noisy city, but efforts to reduce the problem are continuous.
Hong Kong’s economy has significantly grown in the past decades and this is why it no longer came as a surprise that factors that also grow in number along with progress such as transportation, construction, commercial and industrial sources will become very busy so it is going to be close to impossible to only create very minimal noise level especially in a compact and densely populated city such as Hong Kong.
This means, just like other large cities in the world, Hong Kong definitely has its share of noise problems.
Noise that is produced by construction, traffic, aircraft and other sources have become a real problem and it is good that the government tries its best to keep it under control.
Had the government been slow to give action, these noises can lead to mental stress and hearing loss,
It can also interfere with daily activities such as doing homework, watching television, talking on the telephone and sleeping.
This is why the Government has made sure that major forms of environmental noise are under statutory control.
The department focuses on restricting noise from construction activities, commercial and industrial activities, newly registered vehicles and air transport.
Planning, policy making and consultation with the public, minimised the number of people who are exposed to unnecessary noise in the past years and today while the problem is still unavoidable, it is still under control.
Prevention is better than cure. But, if you have a chance needing a hearing aid, 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
A survey in 2013 conducted by the Census and Statistics Department involving persons with disabilities and chronic diseases stated that there are 155,200 people who have hearing impairment in Hong Kong.
That accounts to 2.2% of the total population of Hong Kong and 117,600 out of the total 155,200 persons with hearing difficulty are aged 65 or above.
This includes people who perceived themselves as having long-term difficulty in hearing or using specialised hearing aids or rehabilitation tools at the time of survey.
A lot of elderly people lack the financial means to buy hearing aids, which could cost as high as several thousand to several tens of thousand dollars.
In Hong Kong, the government is providing subsidies to elderly people. They pay for the costs of hearing tests and hearing aids.
They impose no upper limit in the scope of application of the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme which aims to enhance the safety and quality of life of elderly people.
Hong Kong’s general out-patient clinics (GOPCs) of the Hospital Authority (HA) refers patients with hearing difficulty to the ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists which shall follow-up according to their clinical conditions and needs. They will provide appropriate hearing assessment and treatment for persons with hearing difficulty.
The Hospital Authority has 29 audiologists and audiology technicians that help provide timely hearing tests and treatment according to the diagnosis made by ENT specialists and the needs of patients.
The Department of Health reviews the manpower requirement from time to time to monitor the service demand. This ensures audiology-related services for everyone who needs it.
Eligible seniors may use health care vouchers to pay for healthcare services provided by healthcare professionals assigned under the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme.
This includes hearing assessment services provided by enrolled doctors.
Medical items which are not covered by the standard fees and charges in public hospitals and clinics are provided by the Hospital Authority thru the Samaritan Fund safety net.
They pay for hearing aids, and the replacement of external speech processors of cochlear implants and other accessories.
Patients who needed financial assistance for privately purchased medical items or new technologies required in the course of medical treatment will be referred right away to the Samaritan Fund to get immediate assistance.
Patients who have met the specified clinical requirements will be referred to SF for financial assistance because health care vouchers cannot be used for purchasing products such as medication or medical equipment.
To sum up, the Hong Kong government is really extending all the assistance to their elderly who are most prone to the effects of hearing impairment.
If you think you need a hearing aid, 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
Those born during the years 1981 to 1996 are often referred to as the millennials, or members of the Generation Y. They may either be children of Generation X (born 1965-80), or the Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) or grandchildren thereof. Their most defining descriptions, however, are that they were the young adults at the turn of the millennium and that they were the first children to have the digital world introduced to them at birth. Thus, they are also otherwise known as the “digital natives”.
Although researches on hearing loss have not been age-disaggregated well, studies in 2014 reported that approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing. In 2016, a study reported that among adults aged 20-69, the overall annual prevalence of hearing loss dropped slightly from 16 percent (28.0 million) in the 1999-2004 period to 14 percent (27.7 million) in the 2011–2012 period .
In 2011, millennials were aged 20 to 30 years old.
Stress is another common cause of feeling like one or both ears have experienced hearing loss . “When your body responds to stress, the overproduction of adrenaline reduces blood flow to the ears, affecting hearing.” The millennials have rated their stress level higher than other age group cohorts, also reporting being less able to manage stress than any other generation.
While about 50% of hearing disability can be traced to genetic factors, the other 50 % can be traced to stress due to work issues, including life-work balance, and lifestyle choices although some lifestyles and habits can affect hearing in a positive way, while others can be harmful to hearing and lead to hearing loss . About 71% of young adults with hearing loss without other related conditions (such as intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, or vision loss) were employed showing the effect of work stress on this population.
Lifestyle choices like attending noisy concerts have been reported to cause hearing loss among millennials, too.
If you think your family or you need a hearing aid, 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
Due to advances in the studies on hearing and hearing loss, there are so many types of hearing aid devices in the market today. Anyone using a hearing aid should learn a few things in order to adjust to the fact that one has to wear one .
Tip #1 Know your loss first
Some hearing loss are severe, some are so mild a hearing aid is hardly needed. Others are so profound that people may hear but could not understand. Hearing loss is as individual as individuals get. An in-the- (ear)canal (ITC) hearing aid is custom molded and fits partly in the ear canal while an in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid is custom made in two styles — one that fills most of the bowl-shaped area of your outer ear (full shell) and one that fills only the lower part (half shell) . The ITC is recommended for mild to moderate hearing loss in adults while the ITE is recommended for mild to severe cases.
Tip #2 Know your (psychological) fit
Whether one likes it or not, there is some kind of stigma attached to wearing hearing devices not only because it is associated with old age, and no one likes to go around announcing it, but also because hearing loss is a disability and no one wants to announce that, too.
Tip #3 Know your type
The type of hearing aid chosen should be dependent on the kind of hearing loss, the quality of the devices, and the price. Sometimes the quality of the hearing aid chosen make adjustment to the use of hearing aids less traumatic.
Tip #4 Know your device
There are several hearing devices now in the market. Some hearing devices called “Invisible In Ear Nano Hearing Aid Small Hearing Amplification Device” advertised as invisible hearing aids . Using and adjusting them sometimes come with RTFMYI (Read The F_ _ _ ing Manual, You Idiot) instructions. However, adjusting them comes with experience in using the device. Sometimes adjusting the device to one’s particular needs, like adjusting the volume, only require common sense after the device had been in use for some time.
Adjusting to hearing devices is a different matter. It needs technical understanding of how hearing aids can change one’s quality of life as well as a psychological acceptance of why only hearing aids could improve such life.
Hence, make sure that you get a hearing aid prescription if you think you need a hearing aid. 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