Hearing Instruments
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Hearing & Balance Assessment
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According to the State of Maryland Board of Examiners for Audiologists, an audiologist is a health care provider with a Master’s or Doctoral Degree in Audiology who has completed a period of post-graduate supervised practice and has passed the National Examination in Audiology. Extensive academic and clinical training provides the foundation for patient management from birth through adulthood. Specializing in the prevention, identification and assessment of hearing and related disorders, audiologists also provide treatment, rehabilitative services and counseling to those diagnosed with hearing impairments. Responsibilities of audiologists also include routine fitting and dispensing of hearing aids and other assistive devices.
The question is really, "what is the best treatment for my hearing loss?" If you have hearing loss in both ears and two hearing aids will best aid and balance your hearing then two are best for you. The treatment of hearing loss is more then just amplifying sounds to over come the deficit of the ear. The brain plays a major role in hearing. The brain is more efficient when it receives balanced input on a consistent basis. Which means wearing two hearing aids (if you have hearing loss in both ears) everyday all day.
This question may have a different answer for each individual patient. We will assume the patient is fit with appropriate amplification and answer from there. Hearing aids are not a cure for hearing loss. The hearing aids are just that, an aid to hearing. A person who has hearing loss has a "disorder" to some part of the ear that is not going to be "cured" by hearing aids. A damaged ear may distort sound as it is received before the information reaches the brain. The best hearing aid in the world cannot overcome distortion caused by the ear itself. This means that wearing hearing aids can help you to hear better, but will not give you perfect hearing all of the time.
Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) are a great option in addition to or instead of hearing aids for listening on the telephone or listening to the TV. The best way to decide which ALDs are best to suit your lifestyle and hearing loss is to ask your audiologist.
Think of the hearing aids as miniature record players or CD players. Think of them in use everyday, all day, in a hot humid environment. Wouldn't you expect to perform some maintenance or possibly a routine repair of the device? A hearing aid is a miniature electronic device that is asked to work in a hot humid environment (your ear canal) every time it is in use. Remember, your body temperature is 98.6 degrees. Think of how the weather feels on a humid day at this temperature. This is one of the major reasons a hearing aid goes in for repair, besides problems associated with wax in the hearing aid. The hearing aid is also sitting in a wax machine everyday and can become plugged with wax even if you clean the device regularly. The best thing to do is see your audiologist for routine hearing aid checks to try and stay ahead of the game.
Each manufacturer allows us to send hearing aids via 2nd day air. If you drop your aid off on Monday, it arrives at the manufacturer on Wednesday afternoon. The manufacturer then requires at least 3 days to repair and pass the aid through quality assurance. This step will sometimes take longer as it must pass the quality inspection. Once the aid is repaired, it is sent back to us by 2nd day air, arriving by the afternoon. Once we receive the aid, we verify the repair was completed and program the aid. We contact you to schedule an appointment as soon as the aid has been checked.
One reason is that the circuit in a hearing aid and a circuit in a watch are very different. A hearing aid has three major components (microphone, circuit, and speaker) that all require power on a constant basis. A watch requires a very small battery drain in comparison. Another reason is the compromise in the battery size so we can have smaller and smaller hearing aids. The smaller the battery, the lower the power and the shorter the life.
Our ears are designed to work together. If two hearing aids are used, the person can tell the direction of sound and is able to understand better in a noisy environment.
A digital hearing aid is able to process speech with greater accuracy and less distortion allowing the best information to arrive in your ear. In addition digital hearing systems have noise reduction strategies. The actual strategy is different for each manufacturer so you should discuss this differences with your Audiologist so that you will have the appropriate expectations for the technology that you and your audiologist choose.
When we fit hearing aids, which have more sophisticated technology, you may require more fine tuning adjustments. In addition your audiologist has to check for any sign of allergic reactions to the plastics or fit problems. We feel that it is always to prevent problems rather than to have to deal with them after we have an allergic or sore ear. Also regular follow-up can prevent long term problems that occur as a result of patients not using their hearing aids properly.
There is a gland, which produces earwax in each ear canal. This wax is then transferred to your hearing aid when you insert it into your ear. Please remember that the receiver is about the size of the tip of a pen so it does not take much wax to block it. Routine care and maintenance can avoid much of the problem but sometimes no matter haw much we try to prevent a problem we still have to have the hearing aid fixed. So as soon as you are suspicious of a problem you should call your Audiologist.
My wife’s hearing aid whistles a lot, so she stopped wearing it. What can I do to get it fixed so she’ll wear it again, since I’m worried she doesn’t hear people give her instructions.
A whistling sound is not uncommon and can be caused by a variety of factors. One of the most common is ear wax. The other possible reason for the whistle is that the hearing aid is not fit or set properly. There could also be an electronic problem with the circuitry of the aid itself.
This problem, along with all of your other hearing woes, can be easily solved with a visit to The Hearing Assessment Center. It is here that a licensed audiologist will assess the problem and make recommendations to help you stop missing important conversations.
The first thing he needs is thorough diagnostic testing by a licensed audiologist who can determine the cause of his hearing loss and the extent of it.
With that information, treatment options can be discussed. These may range from simple assistive listening devices, such as telephone or tv amplifiers, to hearing aids.
If hearing aids are recommended, the audiologist will discuss options that are most appropriate for the individual’s specific hearing loss and listening environment.
Ads can confuse consumers by making bold, general statements and setting unrealistic consumer expectations. While digital hearing aids are technically superior, they are not necessarily the best solution for every person.
We have many patients who still do as well with conventional hearing aids, as with digital aids, but the recommendation will depend upon the patient's type of hearing loss, degree of hearing loss, listening environment, and specific hearing needs.
Digital aids allow the audiologist to do more fine-tuning of the sound processing, provide better noise suppression and sound quality, but this may not be necessary for all patients.
You should start with a thorough examination from a licensed audiologist, and he or she will make the appropriate recommendations to enhance your hearing. Call 410-321-7638 today to discuss your hearing concerns with an audiologist or to schedule an appointment.
Ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus, is fairly common and can be the symptom of many different problems–from mild to serious. The causes can include hearing loss, high or low blood pressure, medicines you are taking, infection, or other medical conditions.
You should see your physician or have a thorough evaluation by a licensed audiologist to determine the cause and to recommend treatment options.
If your ringing sensation is a result of hearing loss, it can be addressed through a variety of methods, which may relieve or even eliminate the situation.
Don’t worry. In the vast majority of cases, water will not hurt your child’s hearing. However, some children who have had frequent ear infections have tubes placed in their ears or perforations in their eardrums. To prevent water from getting into the area of the ear behind the eardrum (the middle ear), ear plugs that are especially designed for swimming should be worn.
Swim plugs that are custom-made by an audiologist are usually more effective – but they do require an impression to be made and one to two weeks of processing. The wait is worth it, since some plugs – especially those made with a putty-like substance, often fall out or they are difficult to seal in small ears.
Recently there has been a great deal in the news media about “implantable” hearing devices. There are several different types on the market and the FDA will likely approve more in the not-too-distant future. Although they are a tremendous help to some, as with any of the new hearing devices, no one is going to “fix” the ear and therefore, like any hearing aid, cannot restore hearing to naturally normal levels. Just like other devices, there are positives and negatives. It requires surgery with the usual possible risks as well as added costs. However, for some there are significant benefits and for those who are appropriate they can be a major improvement over traditional hearing aids.
To determine if these devices may be appropriate for you, a thorough evaluation needs to be performed by a licensed audiologist. If the audiologist finds your type of hearing loss is appropriate for an implantable device, you will then need an examination by an otolaryngologist to determine if you are a surgical candidate. Never rush to make these decisions and always get complete and accurate information.
There could be a number of reasons why your hearing aids are not helping you. First, with the growing technology in hearing devices, it is possible that the aids you are using are not properly set/programed for your type of hearing loss. If you were taking a medicine and it didn't seem to be helping you would talk with your doctor about it. So, if your hearing aid is not helping you, talk with your audiologist about the difficulties that you are having. There could be some simple modification that the Audiologist can make that would make all the difference.
Another issue is whether or not you have realistic expectations about what the hearing aid will do for you. Frequently, patients will tell me that when there are two or three conversations going on at the same time they can't hear anything. Usually what they mean is that they can't follow all of the conversations. Well that is an unrealistic expectation. Most people with properly prescribed hearing aids can hear what they want to hear in spite of background noise. That is what we strive to accomplish for the patient. Remember it always helps to have people face you when in active conversation.
Call us to schedule an appointment so a licensed audiologist can evaluate your hearing loss and determine the reason for your frustration. We can also teach you other tips to help you hear with clarity. Our number is 410-583-7021. You can also use this form to schedule an appointment.
Dizziness is a symptom of a problem, not a disease. Although there are many potential causes of dizziness, 85% of these cases can be attributed to inner ear (vestibular) problems. Successful treatment of dizziness requires first the correct diagnosis of the cause. Once that is determined, then successful treatment can be designed. This may include medical and/or audiologic or in some cases physical therapy.
Your mother should first contact her primary physician to make sure there is not a medical condition needing attention. Next, a thorough vestibular evaluation by a licensed audiologist who is experienced in testing and treating dizziness should be performed. Following that testing, additional recommendations or referrals may be made. Because of the potential for falls, dizziness should not be overlooked but completely evaluated and if possible treated.
