"When one person in the family has a hearing loss, the FAMILY has a hearing loss..."

I was reminded this past week that when one person in the family has a hearing loss, the FAMILY has a hearing loss...

A very young looking senior, her husband and adult daughter came this past week for a consultation. She was fit with hearing aids earlier this year at another local facility, had been back to see them a time or two...and reported difficulty hearing conversations, felt separated from her family, couldn't hear at her weekly book club meeting or on the telephone. A friend told her about us. Her husband and daughter indicated that she didn't begin to know what she wasn't hearing, and the television was too loud.

The hearing aids were in good working order, and were top-of-the-line premium hearing aids.  With the hearing aids on, I tested her word understanding ability: she closed her eyes, told me she could hear me well, even when she couldn't ready my lips, and repeated the words I read to her.  She correctly repeated only 32% of the words. She confidently thought she got most of them correctly, and she was surprised to hear her score. Even with the hearing aids, she couldn't understand words in a quiet setting.

I connected the hearing aids to the computer and saw that no modifications were made to the manufacturer's recommended settings. Based on the words she missed in the test, I modified the ear molds and hearing aid settings. I increased the noise suppression, gave her a special program for her club meetings, turned on the automatic telephone program, and counseled them on communicating in restaurants and other noisy places. When I retested her hearing, her score improved to 84%. I told the family about some free apps to practice and improve hearing in noise, and to understand rapid talkers. 

Sometimes what premium hearing aids need is an experienced audiologist, who takes the time to check perception hearing, AND listening.

Let me tell you, it is really fun to be an audiologist!

Don't hesitate to contact our office if you have any questions about your hearing healthcare.