Hear, Here

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...

This is going to be a much more personal, passionate post than past blog entries. The issues discussed below are obstacles I face everyday as a Doctor of Audiology and they aren't solved by slapping a widget on someone's ear and yelling "next!". I hope you will stick with me through it and return frequently for other entries regarding hearing healthcare. I fit numerous sets of hearing aids each week. Most of them on new users who have never worn hearing aids before. I always encourage my patients to bring someone with them to this visit. I find people respond better when they have a familiar voice to hear first through their hearing aid versus MY voice that they may not be familiar with beyond our first visit at their hearing test and subsequent hearing aid evaluation. I find that most people do not bring a communication partner with them. Whether is is because their adult children don't live here or are at work and can't break away or because they are tr...

In the mid-late 1970's, the profession of Audiology went through a metamorphosis of sorts with regards to dispensing hearing aids. It was only thanks to a few brave, rebellious souls that permitted Audiologists to actually dispense hearing aids. Prior to that, hearing aid dispensers were the only ones allowed to fit hearing aids. Because of Audiology's early roots tied so closely to "speech correctionists" (now known as speech-language pathologists), the profession of Audiology has only recently started to separate itself from the field of speech pathology. Unfortunately for Audiology, it has been under the umbrella of Speech Pathology for so long, breaking free to pave the profession's own independent way has been difficult. This has not been easy.  Because hearing aid dispensers lumped the devices (i.e. the hearing aids) and the services to fit and maintain the hearing aids together as one price many, many years ago, that trend continued when Audiologists beg...

Today I had the pleasure of seeing a patient who I've been treating for about three years. What originally brought her in was difficulty hearing her family and customers after the death of her husband. He husband was the one that typically dealt with travelers visiting their business. After his death, she had to take on more of an active role and found herself struggling to hear, interact, and conduct basic business. She also noticed she hadn't been hearing her family as well. She had been so busy taking care of her ailing husband, that she'd let her own health needs slide, including her hearing. She has been successfully wearing hearing aids since she took that important first step and had her hearing tested and chose to be fit with hearing aids. She has been diligent in getting regular cleanings from our office and well as maintaining them at home. Her most recent hearing test is less than a year old and the hearing aids were programmed to the test at the time. So why d...

I got a call this morning from a representative for a 'discount' hearing aid plan we somehow got affiliated with because we accept the insurance plan they are affiliated with. This has become a pretty regular thing and ,while I don't always care for their policies and procedures, it seems to be the 'wave of the future' so I am doing my best to accept this trend in the industry. This representative was very nice, telling me she had a patient she wanted to schedule for a hearing test and hearing aid consult. I got the patient's name, address, date of birth, and other necessary information I needed to schedule her appointment and then I asked the rep for the patient's type of insurance and their primary care doctor. She asked me why I needed that information and I explained that I would need to get an order from their physician so I could bill their insurance for the hearing test. To which she replied, "you will not be able to bill for the hearing test....

You Find Yourself Saying "what?" or "excuse me?" a lot or asking people to repeat themselves. You feel like no one speaks clearly anymore. Friends and Family Members remark that you keep the volume on your TV up very loud. You can't hear the person in front of you in a restaurant because of the deafening background noise. People shout at you. You misinterpret conversations You find yourself less willing to go out in public or talk on the telephone. The ringing in your ears never stops Your boss has indicated your hearing may be affecting your job performance. You have failed a hearing exam. Call us today to schedule your hearing test. We can let you know 'where you are' and what can be done about it, (912) 748-9494 or email me, dawn@coastalaudiology.com

I am asked this question several times a week. I think today's modern, digital, connected hearing aids are amazing. I have seen lives transformed by new hearing aids. But as far as deciding who needs Bluetooth enabled aids and who doesn't is not always so black and white. Some people don't even know what "Bluetooth" is, but when you explain it to them, they love the idea behind it. Here are some suggestions for whether or not Bluetooth technology in your hearing aids is "needed": Do you frequently talk on the phone, especially in the car? If so, Bluetooth technology can act as a "hands-free" system which, in some states, is required to legally talk on a cell phone while driving. Do you like to listen to music through an iPod or other MP3 player but don't because of your hearing aids or fear you won't be able to if you get hearing aids? Do you use Bluetooth technology with your other high-tech devices, such as l...

Several years ago, we tried giving our patients a choice with respect to what services they purchased with their hearing aid purchase. They could purchase the traditional way, or with all their services bundled together, or unbundled, which they purchased just their devices and a few follow-up visits. While the unbundled approach wasn't un popular, it wasn't exactly popular. Recently, some well-respected national organizations have gotten behind the movement of unbundling hearing aid purchases to make hearing healthcare more affordable for everyone. This pleases me tremendously since earlier this summer, we began the arduous process of moving to an unbundled only approach to fitting hearing aids as opposed to giving patients the choice. This is such a foreign concept, but one I feel will ultimately only benefit patients as well as the profession. Patients will pay only for services they use, as they use them, which is fair. Why should someone who comes in 20 times a year pay ...