Moments before a gun accidentally discharged near his ear while making a movie was the last day this actor’s hearing became normal. His next job, being the president of the United States, did not make him have second thoughts about wearing his pair of hearing aids. He wore one to heighten his hearing on one side, and the other is purposed to balance the sound.
The former commander in chief was included in the millions of Americans who had communication impairment. According to the National Hearing Aid Society, the number of people with hearing and speech impairments will have increased at a faster rate between 1980 and 2050 than the total US population. The dramatic increase of prospective consumers inspires hearing aid manufacturers to be on the constant lookout for ways to improve their products.
With the latest hearing aid designs, it is now easier to categorize speech and background noise and the size is small enough not to be too obvious. The first few days of using the hearing aid will make the new user feel odd, considering the onset of the hearing loss was gradual and this sudden correction is immediate.
The top three hearing aids available include one that is small enough for the ear canal, one which fits into the hollow of the ear and the customary model which is worn outside the ear. Disproving the notion that hearing aids are only for the elderly, the statistics gathered about school aged children is that they make up 20 percent of the people needing prescription along with their 65 year old counterparts.
A lot of people are experiencing slowly advancing hearing loss and they do not know it. If you find yourself over and over again asking a spoken word repeated, are inconsistent with responses to sound, becoming neglectful or startled easily, you most probably is on your way to further hearing loss. Suspect it as well if you are experiencing ear infections, longstanding ringing in the ears, vertigo, and abnormal withdrawal especially for elder people. It has been reported by a clinical audiologist that most of the people have qualms in seeking medical advice with regard to hearing problems because of being told by doctors themselves that they cannot do anything for them.
This is the doctors’ way of saying a hearing aid is needed because all medical intervention has already been exhausted. If you have a symptom of hearing loss, be sure to see a family doctor or an ENT specialist or even an ear specialist. The physician will know if the case cannot be cured by medical or surgical intervention and they are the ones who refer patients to hearing aid specialists to be evaluated with the audiometer and thus be prescribed the correct hearing aids and further be guided as they adjust with it.
Clinical audiologists who have pursued continuing education for master degrees in Audiology and confirmation from the State Commission for Audiology and Speech Language Pathology do distribute hearing aids. Some are sold by hearing aid audiologists who may or may not have college degrees, but who do have special training by the National Hearing Aid Society to be able to dispense hearing aids.
No matter which of the two a patient chooses, it is important to make sure the hearing aid is being sold by someone licensed by the State Board of Examiners for the Fitting and Dispensing of Hearing aids. Several individuals refuse to have hearing aids and they will not admit lip reading despite difficulty picking out a message if they are not looking at the speaker. If you are ready to admit that you have a hearing problem, you have now crossed the first line toward hearing improvement.
