With more than 25 years of helping people through their hearing care journey, I’ve seen the incredible value of regular hearing assessments.
I’ve also had the pleasure of creating hundreds of lasting and beneficial relationships.
The main reason why I believe everyone should have their hearing tested regularly is that hearing loss is very common. The second reason is that much of the damage is often preventable if it’s caught early enough.
One in three people over 65 have a mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss in one or both ears. Today, 432 million adults and 34 million children have a disabling hearing loss, and this number is projected to double by 2050.
I believe these numbers would be much lower if hearing tests were included in yearly physical checkups and hearing losses were treated early.
So yes, I am certain you need your hearing tested no matter what age you are or how good you think your hearing might be.
The Importance Of Regular Hearing Assessments
Regular hearing assessments protect your hearing by:
- Keeping you aware of your hearing health.
- Preventing any future hearing damage.
- Treating any hearing loss immediately.
- Indicating medical issues.
Protecting your hearing protects your future.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second-best time is now.”
—Chinese proverb
The Signs Of A Hearing Loss
You might not even know you have a hearing loss because it can be so gradual, and I find that it is often first pointed out by a loved one or co-worker.
The early signs of a hearing loss are asking others to repeat themselves or speak up, not understanding what others have said, hearing people speak as if they are mumbling, and turning up the TV louder than others in the room prefer.
You might find yourself feeling drained and exhausted at the end of each day from the effort of trying to read facial cues and body language just to understand conversations.
Background noises might drown out any chance of you hearing what others are talking about.
A short hearing test can indicate what’s going on in your auditory system, and the sooner it’s treated, the sooner you can get back to enjoying your daily life again.
Are You At Risk Of A Hearing Loss?
In addition to regular maintenance of your hearing health, you should have your hearing tested professionally if you are at risk of a hearing loss.
- If you are older than 55.
- If you have ever been in a loud work environment, have loud headphone or earphone use, or have been exposed to loud noise from hunting, a military event, a media event, or proximity to loud fireworks.
- If you have had a fall or head injury – your middle ear bone structures might be damaged.
- If you’ve had a recent ear infection or illness.
- If you have a chronic health condition such as diabetes, hypertension, or a blood vessel disorder.
- If you have ever been on ototoxic medications – used to treat serious infections, cancer, and heart disease.
Because I’ve had extensive education on everything related to the causes of hearing loss, I can determine what part of the auditory system is causing a hearing loss and treat it or refer you to a specialist who will.
The Impact Of A Hearing Loss
There is no need for a person to miss out on hearing clearly, and if a hearing loss is not treated, it can impact a person negatively in many ways.
A person’s job might be at risk if their communication skills decline from not being able to hear properly.
Children with an untreated hearing loss often act out from the frustration of not being able to understand conversations or feeling included, yet 60% of hearing loss in children is preventable.
Feeling left out of conversations can cause people to slowly withdraw from social interaction and become depressed, and the consistent lack of interaction causes the part of the brain that processes speech and sounds to degenerate, possibly even leading to dementia or Alzheimer’s.
A person’s overall physical health and cognitive abilities might decline considerably, all for something that is preventable and treatable!
To Sum It Up
Regular hearing assessments ensure that your hearing health is optimized and any further damage to your hearing system is prevented.
I don’t want you or any family member to spend one more day not being able to communicate easily with your loved ones, and I don’t want you to have to spend thousands of dollars on treatment years down the road because a hearing challenge wasn’t treated early enough.
If you are in Atlanta, you can visit me for a short, non-invasive hearing evaluation to get a clear picture of your hearing ability.
If you don’t have any hearing loss, I can use the results as a measure to compare them against next time you come.
If you do show signs of a hearing loss, I can share treatment options with you that best fit your needs and lifestyle, and come up with a viable plan together that helps you get back to hearing well.
Contact me today so we can answer any questions you have and set up your hearing assessment appointment.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you.