Questions

1. What is an audiogram?
2. When should you get an audiogram and how often?
3. Is it important to replace your hearing aids and when to replace them?
4. How to take care of your hearing aid.
5. Why do you seem to get more ear wax in your ear when wearing your hearing aid and how should you clean it?
6. Fun Facts about hearing loss

Answers

1. An audiogram is a graph that shows the softest sounds a person can hear at different pitches or frequencies. Normal hearing is from 0-20 dbl. Anything higher than 20 is considered loss of hearing. There are different levels of hearing loss that depends on how high those numbers go. The closer the marks are to the top of the graph, the softer the sounds that can be heard.
   Source-Boys Town National Research Hospital, www.babyhearing.org


2. You should get an audiogram done if you have trouble making out what people are saying, hear ringing in your ears, feel a plugged sensation, or have a family history of hearing loss. Something you should be aware of is Otosclerosis; it is a genetic disorder that prompts abnormal growth of the bone of the middle ear, is more prevalent in women and often surfaces when a woman is pregnant or between 15 and 30. If your audiogram is normal, you'll come back every two to five years for a follow-up test. If your audiogram shows you have high-pitch hearing loss, you may have more difficulty hearing certain voices and might need a hearing aid.
   Source- Lambeth Hochwald
   


3. Hearing aids should be replaced every four years. When dealing with kids and specific hearing aids, sometimes only their ear mold needs to be replaced periodically as the child grows and the ear changes in dimension. If your hearing aids are programmable you may be able to keep them longer since your hearing care provider can usually adjust them to the degree of hearing loss you currently have.
   Source- Better Hearing Institute, www.betterhearing.org
   


4. It is important to care for your hearing aids to ensure the maximum life expectancy of your aid. The better care you take of it, the longer it will last. Here is a list of how you should do so:
   • Keep it clean and dry; wiping it with a tissue or soft cloth every time it is removed from the ear. A soft toothbrush is good to use each evening. Hearing aids should not be worn while swimming, showering, or bathing. They should also be kept away from steamy kitchens or bathrooms since moisture can not only pose a blockage problem but can provide a medium for bacterial growth.
   • Check for wax in the small holes at the tip of the aid. Careful cleaning is required to unblock these holes. Consider purchasing a built-in wax guard on the hearing aid.
   • Do not expose the aid to intense heat, for example, leaving it on top of a radiator or in the car.
   • Store in a safe, dry, dust-free place. Purchasing a dehumidifying container will be worth having during night-time storage.
   • Open the battery door when the aid is not in use. This will ensure that the aid is off and will make the batteries last longer. It also lets air in and moisture out.
   • Do not drop the hearing aid. Place it on a soft surface just in case. Never leave it in a place where it can be accidentally knocked off.
   • Have the hearing aid cleaned and serviced regularly – never repair it yourself. This can not only damage the aid but will void the warranty. If the aid breaks or malfunctions, notify your hearing aid dispenser. It is a good idea to schedule a semiannual routine cleaning.
     Source- i innvista, www.innvista.com
     


5. The number one thing not to do is use Q-tips to clean your ears. Everyone does it but in doing so, you can puncture your ear drum by going in the ear canal too deep. You could also be pushing the ear wax up against your ear drum. In fact, a Q-tips’ (cotton tipped applicators) purpose is not meant for cleaning out the ear. It is meant to clean the outside of the ear. There’s even a warning on the box that says not to use INSIDE the ear. We resort to using this because it’s quick and easy; however by using them in this manner, we’re hurting our ears and will end up having problems later. To avoid this kind of thing from happening, you could do one of two things: first thing you could do is buy some ear drops and put them in according to the directions on the box. Examples are Debrox or Auro (brand names) and Carbamide Peroxide Otic Solution (generic brand). The ear drops naturally clean the wax out of your ears. It helps to loosen up the wax so there’s no build up. If you go to bed and wake up the next morning seeing a clump of wax on the pillow, this means the drops are working. The drops help to clean your ears naturally without complications of sticking things in your ears to clean them. The second thing is you could go to the doctor and have them cleaned out if you had no luck with the drops.
   Source- Rod Mser, PA, PhD, www.blogs.webmd.com
   


6. Fun Facts
   Here are some facts you might not have known about hearing loss, aids, hearing in children, and other fun facts.
   • • 1 out of 10 Americans have a hearing loss --- that’s more than 31,000,000 people.
     • 3 out of 1000 children are born with hearing loss.
     • Amplified telephones are now available to help people with hearing loss. Auditory assistive listening devices when combined with hearing aids are much like binoculars for the ear.
     • Most public places (i.e. movie, place of worship, government building, schools) are required under the American with Disabilities Act to provide assistive listening devices for the hard-of-hearing.
     • Hard-of-hearing people are less likely to be discriminated against if they use hearing aids.
     • 9 out of 10 hearing aid users report improvements in their quality of life.
     • A wax protection system on hearing aids reduces hearing aid repairs by 50%.
     • Only 13% of physicians screen for hearing loss. Ask your doctor for a hearing screening since it is not a routine part of physical exams.
     • 1 in 4 workers exposed to high levels of noise will develop a hearing loss.
     • The number one reason people seek a hearing solution is the recognition that their hearing has worsened. Usually this occurs from making a serious mistake, family pressure or safety concerns.
     • The ear has over 25,000 tiny hair cells to help you hear the nuances of sound.
     • In World War One (WWI) parrots were kept on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France because of their remarkable sense of hearing. When the Parrots heard the enemy aircraft coming they would warn everyone of the approaching danger long before any human ear would hear it.
     • Cicadas have their hearing organs in their stomachs.
     • Crickets have their hearing organs in their knees.
     • The vast majority of hospitals now offer newborn hearing screening before discharge from the hospital.
     • All children should be screened for hearing loss before 1 month of age.
     • 85% of all children experience at least one ear infection.
     • Second-hand smoke in the home increases the risk of middle ear infections and respiratory allergies in children.
     • Federal laws mandate that all school districts must provide specialized education to children with hearing loss.
     • Even a mild hearing loss can seriously impact a child’s ability to learn in a school environment.
       Source- Better Hearing Institute, www.betterhearing.org