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Do I really benefit from Hearing
Aid?
Before we could answer you question in full - you
must first undergo a comprehensive hearing assesment which will give
us an idea about the severity and type of hearing loss and your
speech discrimination scores. Generally the benefits from a hearing
aid depend on your individual hearing loss and if your speech
discrimination is intact, you could be a very successful user of
hearing aids. Consult your audiologist who can brief you about your
individual problem and can predict your benefits of
amplification.
Do I really have a hearing
loss?
Hearing loss is a common disorder and can be easily
rectified on proper diagnosis. One out of every 50 people in India
suffer from some degree of hearing impairment.
Answering the
following questions will help you know if you have a hearing
loss.
- Do you often ask others to repeat themselves?
- Has your spouse, friend ever told you that you do not hear
well?
- Do you turn up the TV louder than others prefer?
- Do you find yourself ignoring sounds when not facing them?
- Do you find it difficult to understand conversation in a
restaurant, group situation or when there is background noise?
- Do you often feel that friends and family members mumble or
talk too quietly?
- Do you hear conversations but have difficulty understanding
the words?
- Do you turn one ear towards a speaker to help you hear
better?
YES answers to the above often indicate
sensorineural hearing loss, the most common form of hearing
impairment. This type of loss can be corrected from amplification of
sound by a hearing aid.
Can I live with my hearing
loss?
Often we ignore hearing loss as easily manageable.
But in fact this causes tremendous amount of inconvenience to others
who wish to communicate to you. Friends and family members need to
make an extra effort to communicate by raising their voices,
repeating several times which could be tiring for them. The volume
of TV, Music, Phone etc which you prefer can be uncomfortable for
all the rest. You may even tend to speak louder than necessary.
Inconvenience to others apart living with hearing
impairment over a period of time will be damaging to the self. Not
being able to hear clearly can lead to a lot of communication
problems, be it at home, in office or at the grocery store.
Misunderstanding of conversations can lead to strained relationships
even isolation & loneliness. Hearing loss gets aggravated if
steps are not taken to rectify.
Hearing plays a vital role in a child's
development. Hence early identification and rehabilitation of any
hearing loss is essential. Otherwise this will lead to permanent
speech and language disability.
Should I buy HA from Shreya or
abroad?
Do you believe it is a good decision to buy
hearing aids abroad, because you get superior quality products and
better fitting and service standards? All these and at a lower cost!
Not really...
Today, at Shreya, we have the international quality
in your reach. We practice advanced diagnostic and fitting
procedures using computerized audiometry, Real-Ear-Measurement and
Hearing-Aid-Analysis. We bring to you a full range of hearing aids
from conventional to most advanced digital and programmable hearing
aids. The cost of the hearing aids keeping the brand name,
technology, model the same, are much cheaper in India. Also, let us
not forget that after 'buying' a hearing aid you need the services
of an audiologist for follow up, service and repairs.
So, don't you think it is a better choice to 'buy'
a hearing aid locally with us and get more 'value for
money'?
What is the procedure to get a
HA?
Step 1: Ascertain the kind and degree of
hearing loss through audiometry tests by qualified
audiologist.
Step 2: If test result diagnose that you
could benefit from a Hearing Aid, your audiologist will give you a
trial on the most suitable Hearing Aid for your kind and degree of
loss, also keeping in mind preference in style and budget.
Step 3: Your order would be accepted for proccessing,
based on your choice of Hearing Aid Model. The order would normally
take 3-10 days to execute.
Step 4: You are informed
when your Hearing Aid is ready, you shall have to make a second
visit. The actual Hearing Aid fitting is done in this session to
meet your individual hearing loss. You will be counselled to use and
operate the instrument.
What HA is suitable to
me?
Till about 5 years back a hearing aid was a simple
amplifier. The amplification was not related to the type and extent
of your hearing loss. The user had to put up with a lot of
disadvantages like jarring sounds, distortion, background noise,
large size and a host of other problems.
Since then hearing rehabilitation has advanced by
leaps and bounds. Today hearing loss is no longer treated
universally but individually. Advanced diagnostics at Shreya Clinic
will reveal to you the uniqueness of your hearing loss. In fact each
individual's hearing loss is as unique as his / her fingerprint and
needs an equally individualistic solution. Hence consulting a
professional audiologist is essential for proper rehabilitation.
With the advancement in electronics hearing aids
have become tinier & tinier with multiple programmable features
to suit individual needs. A hearing aid essentially comprises of a
microphone, an amplifier, a speaker and a battery. Hearing aids can
be classified by size and by technology.
The following five models are available based on
their size.
- Body level
- Behind The Ear
- In The Ear
- In The Canal
- Completely in the Canal
What
accessories available for Hearing Aid maintenance?
Do I Have a hearing loss?
Recognizing
a hearing loss in yourself or someone you know is the first step
toward improving the situation. Often, among the first sounds which
"disappear" are those in the higher frequencies, that is, those
which are most high-pitched. From the listener's point of view these
sounds include - Women's and children's voices, Birds' singing
etc.
Other symptoms of hearing loss include:
- Difficulty hearing in public gatherings - concert halls,
theaters, house of worship - where sound sources are far from the
listener.
- Difficulty in hearing television and/or on the telephone.
- Difficulty understanding conversation within a group of
people.
- Adults avoiding group meetings, social occasions, or family
gatherings where listening may be difficult or where one may feel
embarrassed about misunder-standing what is being said.
It's important to remember that hearing loss is
generally a gradual process that goes undetected due to the body's
incredible ability to develop subtle coping strategies.These
strategies include:
- Asking others to repeat themselves.
- Turning the head to one side while listening to sounds or
speakers.
- Turning up volume levels on TV, radio or stereo.
- Avoiding social gatherings.
- Misinterpreting a spoken message.
At some point,
however, a hearing loss will be noticed and by then it will probably
be too late to restore normal hearing. The only sure way to
determine a hearing loss is to get a hearing test from a qualified
Hearing Health Care Professional.
Hearing Loss, Signs and
Symptoms.
Hearing loss develops gradually and can become
quite severe before anyone realizes what's happening. Early
recognition is important in getting treatment for the hearing
impaired person before the loss interferes with their lifestyle.
Signs of Hearing Loss
- Saying "huh" and "what" more often
- Feeling that others are always mumbling or not speaking
clearly
- Inappropriate responses to questions
- Punchlines of jokes often missed
Who is an Audiologist?
An audiologist
is a person who, by virtue of academic degree, clinical training,
and license to practice and/or professional credential, is uniquely
qualified to provide a comprehensive array of professional services
related to the assessment and habilitation / rehabilitation of
persons with auditory and vestibular impairments, and to the
prevention of these impairments. Audiologists serve in a number of
roles including clinician, therapist, consultant, researcher and
administrator.
The central focus of the profession of audiology is
concerned with all auditory impairments and their relationship to
disorders of communication. Audiologists identify, evaluate, and
habilitate/rehabilitate individuals with either peripheral or
central auditory impairments, and strive to prevent such
impairments. All professional activities related to this central
focus fall within the purview of audiology. In addition,
professional activities related to assessment and rehabilitation of
persons with vestibular disorders are within the scope of practice
of audiologists.
Audiologists provide clinical and academic training
to students in audiology. Audiologists teach physicians and medical
students about the evaluation of hearing, prevention of hearing
loss, and habilitation and rehabilitation of persons with hearing
impairment. They provide information and training on all aspects of
hearing to other professions including psychology, counseling,
rehabilitation, education and other related professions.
Audiologists provide information on hearing, hearing loss and
disability, prevention of hearing loss, and rehabilitation to
business and industry. They develop and oversee hearing conservation
programs in industry. Further, audiologists serve as expert
witnesses within the boundaries of forensic audiology.
The audiologist is an independent practitioner who
provides services in hospitals, clinics, schools, private practices
and other settings in which audiological services are relevant.
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