Hear, Here

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...

By Dr. Dawn MacMillan, Audiologist 1. Realize that getting used to new hearing aids takes time. You probably didn’t lose your hearing overnight; you won’t adjust to new hearing aids overnight. Ask anyone who wears hearing aids and they’ll tell you their hearing aids probably didn’t sound “good” when they first put them on, they probably sounded “different”. Not necessarily ‘bad different’ but just different. Hearing aids may feel strange at first on your ears, especially if you wear glasses. Wearing glasses with hearing aids is ok! You may just not be used to having both glasses AND hearing aids behind your ears, don’t be alarmed if you need to wear them for a few days, or even weeks, before they become comfortable. When your Audiologist first puts your hearing aids in your ears, you may notice a big difference or no difference at all! This alarms some users but is normal. Depending on your level of hearing loss, you may have heard your audiologist in their quiet office eve...

Over time, like any other piece of equipment used on a daily basis, hearing aids will break down and need to be replaced. While most hearing aids are built to last for several years, they will need to be replaced at some point. The better you take care of your investment, the longer it will last. But no pair of hearing aids will last forever.  At Coastal Audiology, we want you to get the most out of your investment but we also don't want you "throwing good money after bad." At some point, we have done all we can to extend the life of your hearing aids and it will be time to upgrade them. Here are some guidelines for when it may be time to so.   Your hearing loss changes Annual hearing exams are vital to determine if your hearing needs change, as well as for having your hearing aids fine-tuned to adjust for any changes. Your hearing test is your "prescription". It is how your Audiologist fine tunes your devices to match your hearing loss. While we at...