May is National Speech and Hearing Month
Posted by ecwadmin on May 20, 2016 in General.
ECW’s Hearing Center is unique, as most hearing services are not found within an eye clinic. However, it really makes perfect “sense” to pair services for our two most iimportant senses in one place. Helen Keller demonstrated the value of this; she said that it was her vision which put her in touch with things but her hearing that put her in touch with people. Unfortunately, with age, both senses can begin to fail. Thus, our vision is cherished for the independence that it helps to give us and our hearing is cherished for our ability to communicate with others and stay connected to relationships and the world around us. Normally, vision and hearing issues are not life or death matters, so people tend to put them off. However, they are both quality of life issues and the aging process affects both; if one fails, the other becomes that much more important.
As hearing loss progresses, it first affects our ability to communicate and have enriched relationships with others. However, it also can impact cognitive functions such as understanding speech, retaining memory, contributing to dementia because it robs the brain of the stimulation that better hearing provides. Additionally, people don’t consider the impact that an untreated hearing loss has on mental health issues. Because hearing loss makes it more difficult to hear in social settings, hearing impaired people start to become more uncomfortable in those settings and choose to forego social invitations. This starts a condition of isolation, which can lead to depression.
The solution to untreated hearing loss is, of course, hearing aids. People experience the best results if they incorporate hearing aids earlier in the progression of hearing loss rather than later. However, it is also crucial that a person be at the point of hearing aid readiness. I help patients determine when the time is right and will offer them a so day trial period. This trial period involves no pressure nor obligation. I am committed to making recommendations that are always in a person’s best interest.