Hearing Tests Should Should Be Routine As You Age

Hearing healthcare professionals typically recommend getting your hearing tested at least once a year, sooner if you notice a change in your hearing sensitivity. It is very important to get a baseline hearing test done even before you think you have hearing loss. That way, your healthcare provider can compare your hearing tests to one another to determine how progressive your hearing loss may be. This can greatly alter the course of treatment for a hearing impaired individual.

As of late, most states have laws in place that provide each newborn child with a hearing test before even leaving the hospital, which proves that medical professionals are getting more serious about early intervention when it comes to hearing healthcare. Once in school, kids get their hearing tested periodically.

Why should this process stop as we age?

Isn’t it true that the majority of us will start to lose our hearing to some degree as we get older? There aren’t true guidelines on when you should start getting annual hearing tests, however there is a strong correlation between age and hearing loss. Eighteen percent of American adults 45-64 years old, 30 percent of adults 65-74 years old, and 47 percent of adults 75 years old or older have a hearing impairment.

Since hearing tests are so important, why is it that primary care physicians do not recommend them more during annual checkups?

Even today, hearing healthcare has not been deemed one of the most important concerns of primary care physicians. On occasion, a physician may perform a very brief hearing assessment with a tuning fork or a small hearing screener, but neither test provides specific enough information about the quality of your hearing. This is why it is important for you to become educated about your hearing so that you can take charge of your hearing healthcare. Professionals such as audiologists and hearing aid dispensers that specialize in hearing can provide you with a complete assessment of your hearing and give you recommendations and solutions if necessary.

Unfortunately, only about 29 percent of adults have had their hearing tested once in the past five years. For those of us that do not get our hearing tested annually, we could (and cause our loved ones to) suffer from untreated hearing loss for years. The sooner you seek treatment, the better benefit you will get from your hearing aids. This makes the annual hearing test that much more important.

Categories: Hearing Aids Blog — Tags: hearing impairement, Hearing test —

Get Into The Hearing Loop

Advanced Hearing Systems Improving Hearing

Even though hearing aids can be very beneficial to those with hearing loss, sometimes hearing aid wearers still have difficulty hearing and understanding in certain environments. That’s especially true when there is a good amount of distance between the person that is speaking and the person that is listening. The implementation of induction loops assists in ease of listening in certain situations such as these.

An induction loop is an assistive listening device that is comprised of a magnetic coil that can literally loop auditoriums, classrooms, theaters, churches, etc, and is connected to the sound system. So, when the speaker talks into a microphone, the induction loop magnetically transmits the sound to hearing aids that have telecoils (T-coils), which are small copper coils that boost the magnetic signals from both telephones and induction loops. The magnetic signals are then converted into sound. In a way, this enables the hearing aid to act like an in the ear loudspeaker. The result is a clear, sharp sound being sent directly into the hearing aid wearer’s ear, without amplifying the background noise that makes following speech that much more difficult.

The number of places being “looped” has been steadily increasing in the past few years as knowledge and awareness of induction loops increase. There is a possibility that your local church or theater has access to such a system that will greatly enhance your ability to understand speech. To find out if your hearing aid is equipped with a telecoil and can work in conjunction with an induction loop, contact your local hearing healthcare provider today.

Categories: Hearing Aids Blog — Tags: telecoil —

Widex announces new president, a distribution change in the U.S.

Widex announced recently that Jake Haycock is the President of the newly formed Widex USA. Jake brings 9 years of successful experience from the hearing aid industry, heading the Widex Canada operations.

After 54 years, Presidents Ron Meltsner and Eric Spar of Widex Hearing Aid Company Inc. and the Board of Directors of Widex A/S (Denmark) have come to a mutual agreement to transfer the distributorship as of November 3, 2010.

Since the early beginning more than 5 decades ago, both companies have had a very close and fruitful business relationship. However, the market dynamics in the U.S. have, in recent years, confronted the independent distributor with overwhelming challenges. Margins have eroded and at the same time, the need for significant investments has become necessary to expand Widex’ position in the market, and to ensure superior service to U.S. hearing professionals.

As these conditions are not expected to change within a foreseeable future, the situation calls for a different distribution set-up based on direct ownership by Widex A/S.

With the new “Widex USA” Widex joins the group of the major European hearing aid manufacturers with its own U.S. subsidiary. All operations of Widex Hearing Aid Company, Inc. will be transferred to the new subsidiary. The headquarters will remain located in Long Island City, N.Y.

“It has been a privilege for Widex A/S to work with Widex Hearing Aid Company, Inc. under the management of Harold Spar and Henry Meltsner and later their sons Eric Spar and Ron Meltsner and we would like to recognize the excellent and warm relationship both companies have enjoyed over the past,” says Anders Westermann, Executive Vice President, Widex A/S. “Widex Hearing Aid Company, Inc. has played a significant role in the history of Widex and the company has maintained the Widex brand as a strong brand in the U.S. market, representing an excellent platform for the new Widex USA.”

Ron Meltsner and Eric Spar will maintain an important role in the industry through their company Hal-Hen, the world’s leading supplier of hearing aid accessories.

We trust that all our Widex friends and colleagues will be supportive of our mutual decision, and the Board would like to wish Eric Spar and Ron Meltsner and all the Hal-Hen crew the best of years ahead.

As of November 3, 2010, Jake Haycock is the President of our new company, Widex USA. Jake brings 9 years of successful experience from the hearing aid industry, heading the Widex Canada operations.

Categories: Hearing Aid Companies —

Waiting To Get Hearing Aids Could Be Causing More Damage

If you have a hearing loss, getting a hearing test and the right hearing aid can actually keep your hearing from getting worse.

You finally gave in and got that hearing test. Now, your hearing healthcare provider is recommending hearing aid, but you want to wait. You don’t think your hearing loss is severe enough to warrant the cost and you have heard that it is a good idea to wait until you are really having problems hearing before you get hearing aids.

Sound familiar? You may not know that you could be doing more damage than good by waiting to get hearing aids. Studies have shown that the average person waits seven to ten years from the time they realize that they have a hearing loss until they pursue amplification. That’s a long time to not be using our hearing nerves to their utmost potential. There are a number of emotional, social, and physiological consequences to waiting this long to get hearing aids.

Almost one-fourth of hearing impaired individuals said their hearing loss has affected their success in the workplace
25% said hearing loss is affecting their earning potential and has potentially hindered them in gaining promotions or raises
40% of the individuals who reported having a hearing loss said that it affects their home life. Hearing loss not only affects the individual with the impairment, but it also affects friends and family members as well. Living with a hearing impaired person can be frustrating and stressful.
More than half of hearing impaired individuals say they often have difficulty hearing on the telephone
Hearing impaired individuals tend to gradually isolate themselves from social situations, stating that there is no reason to go since they cannot follow the conversation anyway. This can lead to depression and stress.
Hearing is a huge part of communication. The better we hear, the better relationships we can have, which leads to a better quality of life
If a hearing loss is present, this typically means that the hearing nerves are not working to their utmost potential. If these nerves are not used, the function will permanently be lost. In other words, if you do not use it, you lose it. The longer you wait to get hearing aids, the less chance there is that hearing aids will provide you with optimal benefit.
Studies have shown that although hearing aids will not prevent hearing loss, it can slow the progression of the damage of the hearing nerves and of speech understanding.

Don’t wait, you have taken that first step of getting your hearing tested, so it’s time to seriously weigh your options and consider beginning a hearing aid trial. It’s never too late for hearing aids, but the sooner, the better!

Categories: Hearing Aids Blog —

Buy a Hearing Aid

Hearing Tests Should Should Be Routine As You Age

Get Into The Hearing Loop

Widex announces new president, a distribution change in the U.S.

Waiting To Get Hearing Aids Could Be Causing More Damage

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