Hear, Here

By: Dr. Dawn H. MacMillan, Audiologist  It's hard to believe, but school starts locally in just about two weeks. Like so many other parents, I've been running around buying school uniforms and shoes because my kiddos have outgrown almost everything this summer. We've been busy with school supply lists and finishing all the back to school tasks required before August 5th when they return to school. For my little one who will begin kindergarten, I had to verify she had her required hearing test to enter school  (funny to me considering her mama is an Audiologist!) and was up-to-date on her vaccinations. All this running around and list-checking got me thinking about my pediatric patients. How my back to school lists mirror the lists of the parents of my pediatric patients with hearing loss but they have more things they need to do to prepare their little ones for the new school year. It got me thinking about childhood hearing loss and what I can do to help prevent hearing ...

By Dr. Dawn MacMillan, Audiologist Hearing aids are wonderful tools to assist those with hearing loss! They can make things louder when needed, brighter-sharper-clearer if that's what is needed. Modern digital hearing aids are based off a prescription, your hearing test, so your Audiologist can program in precisely the sounds you need. Instant-fit and over-the-counter (OTC) options cannot do this as they are typically programmed to a particular hearing loss shape and configuration. This is bad because it means some sounds you need to hear will be UNDER-amplified while other sounds are OVER-amplified, leading to dissatisfaction with the sound quality and for most, poor wearing habits. To get the most out of your investment, here are five tips to maximize success with hearing aids:  1.        Learn how your hearing aids work . Spend some time with your Audiologist, and really learn how hearing aids work.  A hearing aid fitting appointment ...

Approximately one in three people in the United States between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss, and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing. Having trouble hearing can make it hard to understand and follow a doctor's advice, respond to warnings, and hear phones, doorbells, and smoke alarms. Hearing loss can also make it hard to enjoy talking with family and friends, leading to feelings of isolation. Age-related hearing loss most often occurs in both ears, affecting them equally. Because the loss is gradual, if you have age-related hearing loss you may not realize that you've lost some of your ability to hear. There are many causes of age-related hearing loss. Most commonly, it arises from changes in the inner ear as we age, but it can also result from changes in the middle ear, or from complex changes along the nerve pathways from the ear to the brain. Certain medical conditions and medications may also play a role. Why do we lose our heari...