Hear better – live better
Hearing aids are game-changers for those with hearing loss, turning up the volume on life’s experiences.
By banishing the barriers of hearing impairment, they reconnect people with the joy of music, the warmth of conversations, and the buzz of daily life.
The impacts of untreated hearing loss are significant. On average, those diagnosed with hearing loss delay treatment for approximately seven years. Various reasons contribute to this delay; some individuals associate hearing loss with aging, leading to frustration and reluctance to address the issue. Others may underestimate the severity of their condition or remain unaware of their hearing problems.
Recent studies underscore the social, psychological, cognitive, and health effects of untreated hearing loss. These effects can have a profound impact on the overall quality of life. Addressing hearing loss in a timely manner is crucial to mitigating these adverse effects and enhancing well-being. Hearing Care is brain care.
Be more present
Untreated hearing loss has long been linked to increased social isolation and loneliness2, which studies have shown increases the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Better hearing means better living and never missing a moment because it was too quiet. Treating your hearing loss is the first step toward a healthier, happier life. Wearing a hearing aid can enrich your life and reopen many doors that may have closed for you over the years. Other benefits of treating your hearing loss with hearing aids include:
- Hearing your grandchild’s first words
- Hearing nature again
- Feeling safer in cities
- Attending dinners in noisy environments
- Enjoying parties and understanding conversation
Be more aware – Hearing Care is Brain Care
We should all not only keep an eye out for danger in this crazy world, but an ear out too. Weather your working in a busy construction site or just crossing the street, being aware of your surrounding is very important.
Untreated hearing loss is shown for
- Increase the risk of falls
- Increase the risk of dementia
- Increase the risk of anxiety
Stay healthy longer
As hearing becomes more difficult, your brain has to work harder to register and comprehend what you’re listening to. This steals energy needed for memory and thinking. Scientists refer to this as the “cognitive load theory.”
Studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a number of emotional health conditions, including:
- Irritability, negativism and anger
- Fatigue, tension, stress and depression
- Avoidance or withdrawal from social situations
- Social rejection and loneliness Increase the risk of depression
- Reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety
Hearing loss can present challenges in following conversations, particularly in group settings. This difficulty may lead to a tendency to withdraw socially, impacting interactions with friends and family and potentially contributing to feelings of depression and anxiety over time. The prospect of participating in work meetings or large gatherings, where multiple conversations take place simultaneously, can evoke anxiety due to the anticipated challenges in communication. Addressing hearing loss and seeking appropriate support can significantly improve one's ability to engage confidently in social and professional settings
How We Hear
To find out how we hear – lets study the human ear diagram.
First the sound waves travel into the ear canal, they vibrate the tympanic membrane, commonly called the eardrum. The eardrum is a thin, cone-shaped piece of skin. It is positioned between the ear canal and the middle ear.
Before the sound passes on to the inner ear, the total pressure must be amplified.
This is the job of the ossicles, a group of tiny bones in the middle ear. The ossicles are actually the smallest bones in your body.
Next the cochlea in the inner ear conducts sound through a fluid, instead of through air.
The cochlea is by far the most complex part of the ear. Its job is to take the physical vibrations caused by the sound wave and translate them into electrical information the brain can recognize as distinct sound.
The organ of corti is a structure containing thousands of tiny hair cells. It lies on the surface of the basilar membrane and extends across the length of the cochlea.
When these hair cells are moved, they send an electrical impulse through the cochlear nerve. The cochlear nerve sends these impulses on to the cerebral cortex, where the brain interprets them.
And we HEAR!
What is hearing loss?
As you are continually exposed to loud noises, damage begins to occur. This damage is to the cochlear cilia or hair cells, as we learned on How We Hear.
The photograph below is a HUGELY enlarged high-powered electron microscope photograph of what the hair cells in a "V" group actually look like!
Cochlear Cilia
* The ones that are standing up are fine, and they can transmit sound signals to the auditory nerve fibers.
* The ones that are "tilted" need much more sound pressure to transmit sound signals — these are "hard of hearing" hair cells that need much more sound pressure (such as from a hearing aid ) to transmit sound signals to the auditory nerve fibers.
* Notice the ones that are laying down and which appear to be broken — these cells cannot ever transmit any sound signals to the auditory nerve fibers because they are dead. If a person has a lot of dead hair cells, then that person is deaf.
If your damage was caused by an accident or illness this is called a Conductive Loss and the middle ear is usually damaged, as opposed to Noise Induced which damages the inner ear.