When you think of someone having hearing problems, you probably imagine your grandmother or grandfather. You can picture them sitting in the kitchen, adjusting their hearing aids as they continuously ask you to speak louder. You speak louder, and they adjust their listening devices again, trying to get that perfect middle ground so it?s not too loud or too quiet. At the time, this scenario might not seem like a big deal. When you take a step back and consider how your grandmother or grandfather feels dealing with this hearing equipment every waking moment of their day, you realize how important hearing is.
Good hearing is something taken for granted by most people. It?s hard to recognize what you have and appreciate it until it?s gone. In the case of many Americans, being born with good hearing isn?t always the case, though. In America, experiencing a certain amount of hearing loss in one or both ears happens for 2-3 out of every 1,000 babies born. Upon birth, 3 for every 1,000 babies experience serious to extreme hearing loss. Furthermore, 90 percent of the time, deaf children are born to hearing parents. Take all of these facts into consideration.
There are babies born with hearing problems, children who experience hearing problems as they grow and parents who must raise children with hearing problems when they do not experience any hearing issues. In each scenario, both the one who suffers from hearing loss and their loved ones must adjust to the hearing issues. Without the help of a hearing consultant, this adjustment would be even more difficult for all parties involved. Hearing consultants can assist with the entire process. Whether it?s hearing aid tests, hearing aid fittings, hearing aid repair, assisted living devices or custom hearing protection, a hearing consultant can help familiarize the hearing impaired and their loved ones with all the necessary information and products.
If you have a child who is hearing impaired, you do not want that to affect their time in school, with their activities or with their friends. Even if the child is present in the classroom, they can miss 50 percent of what is said in discussion or lecture if they experience mild hearing loss.
If you have an elderly family member who is hearing impaired, it is important to help them seek treatment. Without the help of hearing aids, their quality of life decreases. Fewer than one in three elderly individuals over the age of 69 use hearing aids when they?re needed. With modern technology and the help of a hearing consultant, this statistic should drop drastically in the future.
Whether a hearing impaired person is interested in a cochlear implant, a hearing aid or custom hearing assistance, the option and the help exists. Reach out to a hearing consultant to get help with your child, your family member or your own hearing problems. Let us know in the comments how a hearing consultant has helped you!