Does it seem you aren’t hearing as clearly as you once did? Perhaps a loved one has suggested that you may need hearing aids. There’s no need to suffer with hearing loss alone. Ask your primary care physician for a list of hearing specialists.
An audiologist will administer a hearing test. Most of us have not had our hearing tested since we were children and it was assessed each year at school. We would be instructed to raise our hand whenever we heard a sound through the headphones that were placed on our head.
Adult hearing assessments are equally unobtrusive and are performed in a short office visit. The doctor or nurse may whisper to you at varying audible levels. The doctor may tap on your knee or elbow with a tuning fork to see if you can hear the vibrations. Bone conduction tests are performed by placing a device behind the ear to determine how well sounds are heard.
If it is determined that hearing devices are needed, many options are available. Your hearing aid provider will go over the choices with you. Feel free to ask any questions, as part of their job is to provide hearing aid advice. They can also recommend hearing accessories to extend the life of your devices, make the sound emitted stronger and improve your quality of life.
Seeking hearing aid help can be scary. You’ll be glad you did it, though. You don’t have to go through life asking people to repeat themselves and wondering what you’re missing out on. You owe it to yourself and those who love you to get the help you need in order to hear to your fullest potential. You deserve the wonderful gift of sound.