Living well and staying connected

If quality of life is important to you then so is your hearing. Our ability to connect with others in conversation and to hear the sounds of life is truly wonderful! With hearing loss we lose that connection and can become isolated. Being disconnected from your world with untreated hearing loss can have significant consequences for your safety, independence, and cognition.

Untreated Hearing Loss

• Mental Health - Hearing loss can contribute to anxiety, depression, or loneliness. Without our ability to hear our brains have to work harder. This strain can cause mental fatigue and even reduce the functionality of other parts of our brains.

• Isolation - Untreated hearing loss often limits social interaction. An inability to hear in conversation can be frustrating and exhausting. Unfortunately, people with untreated hearing loss frequently limit socializing altogether. 

• Self esteem - For too long hearing loss has had a negative stigma. There is nothing to be ashamed of if you have hearing loss. However, these feelings can create a sense of inadequacy and contribute to negative self-perception. People often forego hearing care due to denial and a sense of embarrassment.

• Safety - Our brain often thinks it is “hearing just fine.” In reality, hearing loss frequently goes unnoticed for years and we become unaware of just how much sound we are missing. From a safety standpoint this could mean not hearing turn signals, alarms, door knocks, or someone walking behind you.

• Dementia - This is perhaps the most alarming reason to seeking hearing care. Without the ability to hear, the brain is unaware of its “acoustic environment.” Moreover, a sense of isolation from hearing loss can lead to feelings of loneliness. Without connection to others our sense of well-being diminishes and this can actually contribute to physical changes in the brain. If you would like to read more about hearing loss and cognition click here.

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Treating Hearing Loss

Start today!

Audiologists recommend you treat hearing loss sooner rather than later. The longer one lives with untreated hearing loss, the longer the brain struggles to adapt to hearing sounds it has missed for years, sometimes decades.

How to treat your hearing?  

• #1 Motivation - Just like with diet and exercise your motivation is KEY. If you want to hear better, having the internal motivation sets you up for success. If you are half committed then your results with treatment will suffer.

• #2 Professional Care - There is alot of false marketing on TV and the internet about treating hearing loss. Quick fixes, cheap solutions, and misguided hearing care prevent individuals from receiving quality medical hearing care from a professional. Care from an audiologist means you are receiving doctoral-level hearing care. Our audiologist at North Shore Hearing, LLC will know if your hearing needs further medical attention.

• #3 Hearing Aids - Hearing aids are one part of the toolkit in treating hearing loss. Today’s technology in hearing aids is truly remarkable, from AI, bluetooth, and significant advances in background noise reduction. Hearing aids today offer exceptional sound quality, ease of use, and effortless connectivity.

• #4 Follow Up Care - Hearing care isn’t a quick fix. When done correctly, hearing care involves patience and commitment. Your brain needs time to acclimate to sound again. For this reason, hearing care is more like physical therapy - it is a rehabilitation process. Structured follow up care helps ensure that your brain adjusts over time and your quality-of-life improves as a result.