Batteries, Best Practice Guide, Community Service, Customer Care, Health, Hearing Aids, Heat and Humidity, Swimming |
Hearing aids can be damaged when exposed to heat or moisture. Sweat and water are the two biggest enemies of hearing aids during the summer, and sharp temperature changes can cause condensation and an increased propensity to sweat. All of these are damaging to your hearing aids and may prevent them from working properly.
Damage could result in distorted or weak sound quality, reduced battery life and inconsistent functionality
It’s important to take extra care during the summer months. Here are some ways to keep you hearing aids safe and functional this summer.
•Take out your hearing aids when exercising outside, if it is raining or if the weather is extremely warm.
•At night, open the battery door to allow dry, fresh air to move through the hearing aid and relieve moisture.
•Keep you hearing aids in a protective case and out of direct sunlight when you are not wearing them.
•Avoid storing hearing aids in humid places such as in glove boxes, dashboards, or other environments where heat and moisture can build up.
•Remove your hearing aids before showering, swimming or any activity in which you will or could be exposed to water.
•Sunscreen has oils that can damage hearing aids, so apply lotions or sprays completely before putting on your hearing aids. Be sure that the sunscreen is fully rubbed in or dry before putting your hearing aids back on or the oils will seep into open seams and microphone ports or vents.
Summer should be fun not stressful. Follow our tips above for a worry-free summer that’s full of sounds and sunshine. Have questions about how to care for your hearing aids – Contact us today.
Best Practice Guide, Customer Care, Health, Hearing Aids, Hearing Test, Lifestyle, New Technology, Noise Health, Oticon, Senior Hearing, Technology, Tinnitus |
BrainHearing™ – the new big thing
It’s your brain that hears, not your ears. The sounds your ears receive are sent to your brain where they are translated into meaning. If you suffer from hearing loss, your brain tries to fill in the gaps of sounds you don’t hear. This can be difficult and exhausting, and it makes it harder for you to participate in what is going on around you.
Oticon hearing aids feature BrainHearing™ technology, designed to support your brain and help it make sense of sound, with less effort. This powerful approach enables you to:
Organise sounds and orient yourself with your surroundings
Hear better in challenging environments
Understand speech, engage in conversations and switch your focus
Listen according to your personal preferences
BrainHearing technology is based on four key features:
Speech Guard E– superb speech recognition
Speech Guard E protects speech clarity and details for you to easily understand what is being said – even in noisy surroundings.
Spatial Sound – locate the sources of sound
Spatial Sound supports your brain’s natural ability to sense where sounds are coming from – even in noisy situations. This helps you know where to focus your attention.
Free Focus – zoom in on what’s most important
Free Focus consists of automatic zoom functions to help you easily focus on the most important sounds. It helps you shift your focus from one conversation to another.
YouMatic – shape the sound to suit you
The way you hear is as unique to you as your DNA. YouMatic is a tool to personalise your hearing instruments to your unique and personal hearing preferences and needs
Contact us today to speak to one of our fully qualified audiologists or to organise an appointment.
Batteries, Best Practice Guide, Community Service, Customer Care, Ear Plugs, Hearing Aids, Lifestyle, Pets, Safety |
Keeping your pet safe from hearing aid hazards
Contributed by Lauren Clason, staff writer for Healthy Hearing | Tuesday, May 6th, 2014
Some dogs will eat anything they can get their paws on: your child’s box of crayons, a forgotten Pop-Tart, the baseboards, or the grease can underneath the grill. Needless to say, their diet isn’t always what it should be, so it’s important to recognize the hazards hearing aids and hearing aid batteries pose to your pet’s health.
Hearing aids are easy enough to swallow and the batteries can pose a significant health risk to anyone or any animal that ingests them. Dogs have been known to chew on and swallow hearing aids, particularly if they’ve shown any interest in or annoyance from the whistling or electronic sounds that a hearing aid emits. Cats could mistake them for a toy and bat them around the house.
If your pet has swallowed hearing aid batteries, there are several symptoms to look for:
•Red and raw tongue, or whitish-gray from dead skin,
•Heavy drooling or vomiting,
•Unusually quiet behaviour or crying, and
•Refusal to eat or extremely slow chewing.
These symptoms can be delayed up to twelve hours. When a dog or cat punctures a battery, the corrosive liquid inside can damage its throat and oesophagus. Charlotte Means, a veterinary toxicologist with the ASPCA, says small amounts of milk can help dilute the liquid if the ingestion was recent. Too much, on the other hand, can cause diarrhoea.
The safest course of action, of course, is to take your pet to the vet. If there are pieces of the hearing aid or battery present in the stomach, surgery may be necessary. Alkaline batteries can cause burns on the tongue, throat and stomach lining. Immediate action is necessary once you’ve discovered your pet has swallowed a battery.
Besides the health risks, there are financial factors to consider. Hearing aids are expensive enough without throwing in the cost of a veterinarian bill; each one can cost anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars. That’s expensive catnip!
Be sure not to leave your hearing aids or batteries out where your pet can get them. Store hearing aids in a secure place out of reach of your pet. Proper storage includes drawers, cabinets and other containers that are closed and inaccessible to both pets and children. Do not leave them out on counters or nightstands where they could be easily knocked off or gobbled up by a furry friend.
Also, make a point of disposing any old hearing aid batteries properly once you replace them. Some businesses offer battery recycling programs. Keep them away from extreme heat and do not dispose of them in a fire, as they could explode and release toxic material.
Due diligence will prevent your pet from a lot of pain and an unwanted trip to the emergency room. While hearing aid manufacturers strive to make their products as safe as possible for everyone, including children and pets, the devices are still small and contain hazardous materials. The majority of batteries today do not contain mercury, but they are still dangerous if swallowed.
If your hearing aid is properly stored, your dog won’t have to learn the hard way that batteries aren’t treats.
Best Practice Guide, Community Service, Customer Care, Health, Hearing Aids, Hearing Test, Lifestyle, New Technology, Noise Health, Oticon, Senior Hearing, Tinnitus |
Hearing And Audiology via Oticon People First
Top five ways hearing aids make you look good
Contributed by Debbie Clarkson, staff writer for Healthy Hearing | Tuesday, August 11th, 2015
According to the Hearing Health Foundation, nearly 50 million Americans experience hearing loss, yet only one in every five people who would benefit from wearing a hearing aid actually wears one. Why? While some cite financial reasons or don’t believe they have a hearing problem, there are those who are concerned wearing hearing aids will make them appear weak or look old.
We disagree. In fact, here are five of the top reasons we believe wearing hearing aids makes you look good.
You have more energy to do the things you love
Hearing aids don’t have to
cramp your style! Check out
these five reasons to seek
treatment for your hearing loss!
You might find it hard to believe that hearing aids can give you more energy, until you realize there is such a thing as hearing loss exhaustion. This occurs as the result of the extra mental energy your brain expends to keep up with conversations at work or school. While people with normal hearing can multi-task — look up information on their smartphone or watch a television program and respond to verbal cues in a conversation — people with hearing loss must use that energy to concentrate on lip reading and deciphering verbal cues and gestures. Hearing loss can cause emotional exhaustion, too, leading to increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
The good news? If a hearing healthcare professional diagnoses you with sensorineural hearing loss and prescribes hearing devices as treatment, they can alleviate this problem. Even though hearing devices won’t restore your hearing to normal, they amplify sound, making it easier for your brain to process them. And when your brain isn’t working so hard to understand what its hearing, it gives you more energy to spend on the things you love to do.
You can be part of the conversation
There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to hear the conversation during family gatherings or in social situations. It’s equally as frustrating for those who are trying to communicate with their friends and loved ones who are hard of hearing. The solution? Get your hearing tested by a hearing healthcare professional and seek treatment immediately if they prescribe hearing devices. Forget what you heard from relatives or friends who purchased hearing aids ten years ago. Not only are today’s hearing aids more comfortable to wear, they are also better able to distinguish speech from background noise. Talk to your hearing healthcare professional. Tell them your hearing expectations and what types of activities you participate in on a daily basis. Ask if your hearing center offers a trial period so you can test your hearing aids in different listening environments so you can choose the hearing device that works best for your lifestyle.
Not only will you be able to participate in conversation easier, you’ll most likely enjoy life more, too. Studies conducted with individuals with hearing loss indicate those who wear hearing aids report a higher satisfaction of quality of life, specifically improved communication in relationship communication, intimacy and warmth of family relationships, emotional stability, a sense of control over life events and perception of mental and physical health.
You can pretend you’re a super hero
C’mon. Who didn’t think Lee Majors was sexy as the Million Dollar Man? With today’s hearing aid technology, almost anyone can pretend they have bionic hearing. If you haven’t seen a hearing healthcare professional lately, you may not know that hearing aids have changed a lot over the last 10 years. Depending on the type of hearing loss you have, you may be able to wear a hearing device that is virtually invisible.
If you’re more of a James Bond wanna-be, think of your hearing healthcare professional as your own personal Q. They can help you select a Bluetooth -compatible hearing device to work with your favorite personal electronic devices, such as smartphones, computers and MP3 players.
You look fashionable
Depending on the type of hearing loss you have, you may not be a candidate for one of the invisible hearing aids. No worries — there are plenty of ways to incorporate other models into your own fashion style.
Be colorful. Most manufacturers make hearing aids in a variety of colors for both children and adults — with accessories to match. Choose your favorite color and, if you need additional “bling,” customize them with your choice of stickers and sparkly accents.
Accessorize. Thanks to a variety of online manufacturers, you can accessorize hearing aids according to your own personal style. Does your child like animals? Invest in an assortment of sea animal clips to keep their hearing aids securely in place. Do you follow a professional sports team? Choose colors and logos to show your team spirit.
You’re a role model for good health
Untreated hearing loss can lead to a variety of other health-related problems or be an indicator of other serious medical issues such as:
Alzheimer’s and dementia. According to the Hearing Health Foundation, those with even mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia. This risk increases with the severity of hearing loss.
Depression, anxiety and stress. Researchers from the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) have found a strong relationship between hearing loss and depression.
Brain atrophy. Researchers from Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging found brains of older individuals with untreated hearing loss shrink faster.
Increased risk for falls. Because the ear plays a role in balance, hearing loss can lead to an increased risk for falls. Studies suggest even mild hearing loss can triple your risk.
That’s why it’s important to have your hearing tested — especially if you suspect you have hearing loss — and to seek treatment immediately if you’re diagnosed with hearing loss. Remember, you’re never too young or too old to be a role model, especially as it relates to good health. When friends and family members see your proactive approach to hearing loss, they will be more likely to address the situation quickly when they experience it themselves.
Best Practice Guide, Community Service, Customer Care, Health, Hearing Aids, Lifestyle, Senior Hearing, Tinnitus |
Hearing And Audiology is delighted to announce its Sponsorship of the Cambridge Bowling Club. We are proud to support our Local Community and look forward to our association with the Cambridge Bowling Club and all its members in the future. Lawn Bowls is a great opportunity to be active, make new friends and get involved in the social and bowling life offered by clubs. You can really get involved at whatever level appeals to you. Lawn bowls can be played by anyone of any age and at many levels from casual social bowls up to the elite level….. and it a great way to exercise!
Do you exercise every day, without fail? Yeah, me neither. But a very interesting study from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) found that as people age, their ability to hear is directly tied to their heart’s health.
What’s the connection? Good cardiovascular health increases blood flow in your body, including the blood that flows to your head. This keeps your ears hearing and functioning well. Although cardiovascular health is important at any age, the distinction in hearing is noticeable in those 50 and over. In fact, the study shows a person in their 50s who is in good shape can hear as well as a person in their 30s.
The U.S. Surgeon General’s report on Physical Activity and Health recommends that everyone engage in some type of exercise on a regular basis. Our research shows the benefits to aerobic exercise in most age groups when cardiovascular fitness is attained. This means large muscle movements, such as walking, bicycling, and swimming, for at least 20-30 minutes at a time, five days per week.
The older a person is, the more important it is to maintain or increase aerobic fitness, which is directly related to increasing cardiovascular health. This will positively affect many well-known health risk factors, as well as hearing sensitivity.
Cardiovascular fitness contributes to better neural integrity in the cochlea, specifically the outer hair cells by ensuring ample supplies of oxygen-rich blood to surrounding organs. Another possible explanation is that people who are heart-healthy maintain overall health better thus limiting damage to hearing due to noise exposure, medications and disease.
Recent advances in medicine and positive changes toward healthy lifestyles have challenged some long-held assumptions about “inevitable aging changes” — including age-associated hearing loss. Impaired hearing in older years has always been considered as something to be expected. But age-related hearing impairment is a complex disorder, with involvement of both environmental and genetic factors. Although significant hearing loss is present in approximately 1 out of every 3 Americans aged 65 years and older, hearing sensitivity can be maintained very well into those “older” years.
The exception to these findings would be a hearing loss with a genetic component or a family history of hearing impairment.
If persons with low cardiovascular fitness could improve to just a moderate level of fitness, that the benefits would include a variety of parameters, including hearing sensitivity, and that hearing levels would be maintained as if they were younger, longer. Sit less. Move more. Hear better!
W: www.hearingandaudiology.com.au
P: (08) 9388 8003
E: info@hearingwa.com.au
Best Practice Guide, Free Trials & Special Offers, Health, Hearing Loss, Lifestyle, Noise Health, Technology, Tinnitus |
Better Hearing Makes for Happier Holidays!
5 Ways Addressing Hearing Loss Can Make for Happier Long Week Ends!
Addressing hearing loss really can add to quality of life—during holidays and year round. Here’s what getting a hearing test and using our professionally fitted hearing aids may do for you:
1. Strengthen ties with family and friends. Healthy relationships rest largely on good communication. In one BHI study, more than half the respondents said using hearing aids improved their relationships at home, their social lives, and their ability to join in groups. Many even saw improvements in their romance.
2. Raise your spirits. People with untreated hearing loss often feel angry, frustrated, anxious, isolated, and depressed. But research shows that when they use hearing aids, many become more socially engaged, feel a greater sense of safety and independence, and see a general improvement in their overall quality of life.
3. Lead you to feel better about yourself. An important perk of using hearing aids can be enhanced emotional well-being. Research shows that when people with hearing loss use hearing aids, many feel more in control of their lives and less self-critical. One BHI study found that the majority of people with mild and severe hearing loss felt better about themselves and life overall as a result of using hearing aids.
4. Keep your mind sharp. Studies out of Johns Hopkins linked hearing loss with accelerated cognitive decline in older adults and found that seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time. BHI studies found that many people with hearing loss report improvements in their cognitive skills with the use of hearing aids.
5. Unleash your earning potential. Hearing your best at work helps you do your best. One study found that using hearing aids reduced the risk of income loss by 90 to 100 percent for those with milder hearing loss, and from 65 to 77 percent for those with severe to moderate hearing loss. And people with hearing loss who use hearing aids are more likely to be employed than their peers who don’t.
For more information:
Appointments
P: (08) 9388 8003
E: info@hearingwa.com.au
