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Had your hearing checked recently?

I’ve had many patients in the past that tell me they have not had their hearing checked since grade school.  Yet they annually get a physical exam, eye exam and their teeth cleaned.  This just doesn’t make sense to me.  Hearing health is every bit as important as the other three, so why isn’t it being done? Could it be that insurance companies list hearing evaluations as preventative in their summary of benefits and offer an annual visit for a co-pay? Or maybe there is a stigma with hearing screenings being associated with getting old.

I believe that everyone over the age of 40 should be proactive and get a baseline hearing screening done annually.  If you do have hearing loss, this will facilitate early detection and treatment to slow down the progression.  Treating hearing loss makes it so your brain doesn’t have to work as hard to understand words and speech.  Annual exams will also provide training and motivation to protect your ears around loud noises to reduce the chances of hearing loss in the future.

Hearing evaluations are easily accessible in most areas and are often offered at no cost.

There are five senses – sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.  Sight and hearing are the only two you can aid.  The other three, once lost, would require some significant medical procedures to repair. It is interesting to me that when someone’s vision starts to blur, they’ll quickly have their eyes checked, and even get glasses, if prescribed.  Yet, when it comes to hearing loss, people often ignore or procrastinate seeking evaluation or treatment.

Helen Keller once said that deafness is “a worse misfortune than being blind. When you lose your vision, you lose contact with things; when you lose your hearing, you lose contact with people.”

NBC-HIS is an active advocate for people with hearing loss.  We encourage people with hearing loss to seek treatment early and to actively manage their hearing health.  Our mission is to help people with hearing loss stay socially connected for a longer, happier, healthier life!

Click on the link below to find a Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist (BC-HIS) near you.

Written by Hansen Phangia, BC-HIS