A Hearing Test Can Change Your Life

Do you suspect you may have lost some of your hearing? No matter how old a person is, they could benefit from having a hearing test in order to determine how much they've been affected by this loss. Losing this most important sense is not pleasant at any age, but especially not for the elderly, mostly because it inhibits independence and increases anxiety and fear. With this said, I'm sure you would agree a hearing test is in order. It can be the beginning of discovering your loss and just how it could be improved. By improvement, I'm talking about receiving an aid of some kind in one or both ears. Digital technology in aids has changed dramatically over the last decade. Aids have actually increased in "intelligence" in their listening, signaling and warning devices. Over the next decade, even greater leaps and bounds should be made in this area of technology. Some areas that have seen vast improvement are: 1. Use in noisy and windy environments 2. Purity of tone and sound 3. Vocal sounds 4. Natural sounds 5. Direction 6. Soft sounds 7. Sound richness 8. Loud sound comfort 9. Limited buzzing and whistling noise 10. Sounds associated with swallowing and chewing By intelligence I mean they can even determine what environment you're in and make adjustments accordingly. This feature alone makes it possible to hear more naturally than ever before. It's common for people who suffer from auditory loss to complain of fatigue when listening in a noisy environment. This is most likely due to the fact they have to work much harder to understand each and every word, which is being spoken. This "work" on their part grows even more challenging when there is a lot of background noise. After having a hearing test and successfully adjusting to your new aids, this difficulty should fade away within a short period of time. And changes have not only come with aids but many more people, especially children, are having cochlear implants which have greatly increased their hearing ability. There are many benefits to having cochlear implants. Adults most often see their advantage immediately and a continual improvement in their hearing from then on. Children will probably see improvement a little slower and more training seems to be required than for their older counterparts. Those with severe auditory loss who are a candidate for a cochlear implant enjoy many new sounds in a rather short period of time. Footsteps, a baby crying and even a whistling teapot are perfect examples of the joys of these implant marvels. Imagine being able to watch television and actually understand what you see? I'm sure you'll agree, this would be a wonderful thing to do. No matter how you lost your hearing, there's probably a way it can be enhanced with the many aids on the market today. There's a strong possibility you will be able to hear better, and it will all begin with that all-important hearing test.