By Hoglund Family Hearing and Audiology Services
Most people have never been told that MILD Hearing Loss TRIPLES the risk of FALLS and DOUBLES the risk of MEMORY LOSS! As the loss worsens… problems in BOTH areas greatly INCREASE! Many other health problems are also influenced by how well we can hear. Despite the numbers and the far-reaching impact hearing loss has on so many aspects of an individual’s life, many people who are aware that their hearing has deteriorated are nevertheless reluctant to seek help. Unfortunately, too many wait years, even decades, before getting treatment, becoming more and more disconnected as time goes by.
How Hearing Loss Affects Cognitive Function
“They say your brain is like a computer,” says John Hoglund BC-HIS, ACA of Hoglund Family Hearing and Audiology Center. “And data gets into your computer through your five senses. The sense of smell, taste, and touch all give us information about the world around us, but
most of the data getting into your computer all day every day comes for our eyes, what we see and read, and our EARS with what we hear. There is a phrase that most people have heard from the computer field that says ‘garbage in … garbage out!’ We find that the ongoing misinformation and flawed data getting into your computer begins to take its toll and leads to tragic consequences!” We “hear” with our brain, not with our ears.
When we have a hearing loss, the connections in the brain that respond to sound become reorganized. Fortunately, for many people, hearing aids can provide the sound stimulation needed for the brain to restore the normal organization of connections to its “sound center” so it can more readily react to the sounds that it had been missing and cognitively process them.
“Even if you have just a mild hearing loss that is not being treated, cognitive load increases significantly,” John continued. “You have to put in so much effort just to perceive and understand what is being said that you divert resources away from storing what you have heard into your memory.” As people move through middle age and their later years, it is important for them to get their hearing tested annually.
If there is a hearing loss, it is best to take it seriously and treat it!
Common Signs and Symptoms
Socially, individuals with hearing loss may:
• Require frequent repetition
• Think that other people sound muffled or mumble
• Have difficulty hearing in noisy situations
• Have trouble hearing children and women
• Keep the TV or radio turned up to a high volume
• Have ringing or other noises in their ears
• Read lips or more intently watch people’s faces when in conversation
Emotionally, individuals with hearing loss may:
• Feel stressed from straining to hear what others are saying
• Feel annoyed at others because they can’t hear or understand them
• Withdraw from social situations that they once enjoyed
With modern advances in technology, there are solutions for many. In fact, 90 to 95 percent of people with hearing loss can be helped with hearing aids—and their quality of life significantly improved. Patricia Hoglund BC-HIS, ACA of Hoglund Family Hearing and Audiology Center says,” When I think of all of the advancements I’ve seen over the last few years in the quality and flexibility of today’s Advanced Digital Hearing Instruments, I feel that there is NO REASON for anyone to feel concerned about our ability to help them! If you have the desire to improve the quality of your family communication and overall quality of life…there has never been better help available for you!”
Hearing aids hold such great potential to positively change so many lives. And advances in digital technology have dramatically improved hearing aids, making them smaller than ever with far better sound quality. Nevertheless, only one in five people who could benefit from hearing devices currently wear them. The Better Hearing Institute encourages all people with a hearing loss to seek assistance from a hearing healthcare professional and to explore the options for improving their hearing—and their lives. The first step is to arrange for a complete Audiometric Hearing Evaluation. HOGLUND FAMILY HEARING AND AUDIOLOGY CENTERS offer these consultations on a complimentary basis in an attempt to educate the public about hearing loss. All hearing instruments come with a SIXTY-DAY TRIAL PERIOD to insure you are completely satisfied with your hearing!
Hoglund Family Hearing And Audiology Center
Fifteen 8th Street, Suite B (Next to Royal Scoop Ice Cream)
Bonita Springs, FL 31434
239-494-8651
Southwest Florida Tinnitus And Hearing Center
10020 Coconut Rd. Ste.120 (Next to LabCorp)
Estero, FL 34135
239-494-8652
AUDIOLOGY CENTERS OF HOGLUND FAMILY HEARING
13710 Metropolis Ave.Suite 101
(One block west of Gulf Coast Hospital)
Fort Myers, FL 33912
239-208-6827