Too many people are living with hearing loss and living below their potential quality of life. Hearing problems do not have to define who you are, where you go and what you do. There are many signs of hearing loss, but not enough people seeking help from an audiologist for treatment, hearing aids or other hearing devices. But how exactly do you know when it is time to visit an audiologist? What makes a person ready to pick up the phone and call? Well, two recent articles from People Hearing Better and Beaumont Health describe the patterns and reasons a person can benefit from partnering with an audiologist.
Before you call, you may be wondering just what exactly an audiologist does. Well, an audiologist is the professional who specializes in evaluating and treating people with hearing loss. Audiologists have extensive training and skills to evaluate the hearing of adults, infants and children of all ages. Audiologists so conduct a wide variety of hearing tests to determine the exact nature of an individual’s hearing problem. Audiologists can help find a variety of treatment options and solutions to patients with hearing impairment based on individual lifestyles and needs. Our audiologists will also dispense and fit hearing aids, test your balance to evaluate dizziness, and provide hearing rehabilitation training. Still thinking it may be something you could benefit from? Good, keep reading.
Hearing loss can occur for a number of reasons, everything from ear infections and exposure to loud music to birth defects and head injuries. When you begin to experience symptoms like having difficulty hearing over the telephone, having trouble following conversations when two or more people speak at once or in a setting with a noisy background, find where sounds are coming from confusing, often ask others to repeat themselves, have problems hearing or understanding the speech of women and children, think that people are mumbling, misunderstand others, miss sounds like the phone ringing or a doorbell, or avoid activities because of problems with hearing and understanding speech, then it’s time. It’s time to contact an audiologist to help you find your way back to enjoying life like you once did or have been missing all along.
For others, knowing if you should seek help isn’t as obvious or easy. There are a few other important signs that you may need to make an appointment at your earliest convenience. For example, you have excessive earwax, sudden sensorineural hearing loss due to a physical injury, tinnitus or ringing of the ears, and any other signs when you have your ears checked at your annual physical.
It may not be an easy decision for you, but it is worthwhile. Your audiologist can help you hear the sounds of life once again – something you know you have missed. Whether you want to maintain the hearing health you currently have or want to improve the hearing you’ve lost along the way, we are here for you all the way. Contact our audiologists today.
