Everyone does it and there is nothing we can do to stop it. It is simply a natural part of life. So how can we say that something as inevitable as aging can be done more or less successfully? Growing older while enjoying a high quality of life and maintaining our health and cognition seems successful. That’s fair, maybe even obvious. What’s less obvious is the connection successful aging has with good hearing.

We have commented before on the link between hearing loss and conditions like depression, social isolation and even dementia. Since some 30% of people over the age of 65 and up to 90% of people over the age of 85 suffer from some form of hearing loss, it stands to reason that your hearing has a direct bearing on your ability to age successfully.

In late 2015, good news came from a study by the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research that found a similar relationship between hearing aids and quality of life. The study examined three groups of people in the same age group: those without hearing loss, those with hearing loss employing hearing aids, and those with unaided hearing loss. In line with previous studies, the group with unaided hearing loss had significantly greater instances of cognitive decline. The good news, however, is that the group employing hearing aids experienced instances of cognitive decline at the same level as the group without any hearing loss at all.

What’s the meaning behind these findings? Evidence is mounting that hearing aids reduce the severity of cognitive decline in elderly individuals with hearing loss. In other words, hearing aids have a real and positive effect on cognitive function over time by restoring the ability to communicate effectively, promoting social and leisure activities, and maintaining quality of life. It can be said with confidence that proactive and quality treatment of hearing loss is a key ingredient to successful aging.

Schneiker Audiology is dedicated providing exactly the kind of care that is proving more and more important to the overall health and wellness of our patients. If you or a loved one could be experiencing the early signs of hearing loss, don’t wait! Call us today for a consultation.

The development of hearing in a child is essential for learning, playing, and developing social skills. For example, the early stages of auditory and oral communication begins with a child imitating the sounds around them.

Even at later stages of development, a young child is still dependent upon the interpretation of speech and language for their development. Hearing loss that is left undetected or untreated can have damaging effects on a child’s development, delaying valuable speech and language development, bringing about social problems, and introducing academic difficulties.

There are many signs that your child may be experiencing hearing difficulties and it is important to know what those are. Here are just five of those signs, examples of what to watch for in pre-adolescent children. If you suspect that your child may be experiencing hearing loss or may require hearing aids, it is important to contact an audiologist service to schedule a hearing test.

#1 The Volume of the TV is Too High

If your child insists that the television be turned up exceptionally high, this might be an indication that your child cannot hear the television at normal volume levels. Alternatively, this could simply mean that your child prefers louder auditory stimulation. If you notice this development presents itself abruptly or if it’s a fairly new development, you may want to schedule a hearing test with your local audiologist.

#2 Your Child’s Hearing Fluctuates

It is not uncommon for a child’s hearing to fluctuate on a day to day basis. This could be either due to some form of conductive obstruction in the external ear canal (such as wax, beads, etc.) or behind the tympanic membrane (such as fluid, congestion, an ear infection, etc.). It is important that if you are seeing your child display symptoms of fluctuating hearing to seek a hearing test immediately.

#3 Your Child Speaks Exceptionally Loud

If your child has begun to speak at a louder volume, this might be evident of a more serious problem. If he/she cannot hear other sounds at age appropriate levels, they may also not be able to hear their own voice as well as they should.

#4 Speech or Language Delays and Concerns

Some children experience difficulties developing speech and language skills. This can be attributed to any number of different causes, hearing loss being merely one of them. If your child is experiencing delays in speech and language development, consider ruling out the possibility of hearing loss by scheduling a hearing test.

#5 Regular Headaches and Ear Aches

If your child is experiencing regular headaches and ear aches, you should see the family physician who will be able to give more information on whether hearing loss is a possibility. Typically a physician will want to make an appointment with an audiologist and schedule a hearing test for your child. The percentage of the under-18 population affected by hearing loss is approximately 2 in every 100 kids. Many of the children affected experience symptoms such as headaches and ear aches, and similar challenges.

The most effective treatment of hearing loss in children is early intervention. The majority of hearing loss conditions can be helped via modern technology and methods. Through early detection, one will also be able to maximize a child’s hearing, reverse the effects of hearing loss, mitigate the damage, and/or begin a recommended form of treatment.

If any of these symptoms exist or you have any concerns regarding your child’s hearing, schedule a hearing test with an audiologist. While hearing testing is no longer covered by OHIP, most insurance companies include audiology testing as an insured benefit.

There are a number of challenging environments where effective communication can become a bit of a problem. For example, a restaurant might seem like an excellent idea for a fun meal but when it comes to trying to keep the conversation moving, restaurants can be very challenging to both hear others and be heard in.

As a matter of fact, there are several barriers preventing effective communication in these types of high volume environments (i.e. a situation where there is additional background/extraneous noise such as loud music, groups of others talking, the sounds of vehicles, or something similar). If you are at a distance from the sound source, this presents another barrier. In fact, for every three feet of distance there is a halving or doubling of the listener’s perceived loudness. Additionally, when there is a lack of visual cues, this presents a third challenge. Ideally, one would want to be in an environment where they don’t have to contend with these but that is not always going to be possible or even close to reality. This is when we need to consider a few communication strategies for challenging environments.

Move closer to the sound source.

An easy way to fix hearing issues in a challenging environment is to move closer to the sound source (i.e. the person you want to hear).

Sit with your back to the wall.

Another method is to eliminate noise coming from at least one direction by sitting with your back against the wall. This way, noise/sounds coming from behind is not as big of an issue.

Watch the speaker’s face.

A third option is to watch the person’s face not only to read their lips, but also to take advantage of any cues that the speaker’s facial expressions will give you. Generally if you’re not able to move physically closer to the person or to reduce sound from at least one direction, speech/lip reading is the easiest way to increase communication.

Other preventative strategies for communication in a challenging environment.

There are a number of ways that you can use to combat the possibility of being in an environment where hearing might be an issue. Plan ahead and select a quieter restaurant where there aren’t as many people and not as much noise, if possible. Choose “off-peak” times to dine out. Don’t be afraid to ask for seating in a well-lit area or away from a large rowdy group. Call ahead and mention to the host/hostess that you have hearing loss, and to see if there is any way the staff can offer alternative seating selection.

Beyond all of these strategies, it is important to remember that in a noisy environment it’s likely that you are not the only person struggling to hear. The healthiest thing to do is simply to relax, breathe, and simply enjoy yourself even if you don’t necessarily catch every word.

If you’re in a challenging environment, straining to hear is fatiguing. If you are wearing new hearing aids, it is likely that you no longer need to strain necessarily but the background noise is creating a difficult to hear environment. If this noise is interfering with your ability to hear, understand, or pay attention, it can be quite challenging and stressful. This is rather normal. There is no reason to think that you won’t be able to dine out with friends, attend work parties, participate in public events, and converse with others at dinner. If you can’t decrease the noise in a challenging environment and you can’t move away from the noise, these strategies can help in mitigating the effects.

When searching for a clinic to assist you with your hearing loss, it can be a challenge knowing what to look for in a company. There are strong marketing pushes out there, promoting everything from free hearing tests, free batteries, to $300 hearing aids. Here’s a couple of things to consider in making your clinic selection to ensure you and your loved ones aren’t being taken advantage of.

#1 Judge your First Interaction with the Clinic

When you first make contact, was the office representative courteous; do they seem genuinely concerned in helping you; was there any pressure to book an appointment?

#2 Was the Clinician an Audiologist or an established self-employed Hearing Instrument Specialist?

It is important that you are going to see a local registered Audiologist. If this isn’t mentioned anywhere on their website or in that initial conversation, have your doubts. You also want to question whether there is walk-in service to repair your hearing aids in the office. Is the professional local or working for a big box store? A big box chain will have more of a retail, sales oriented philosophy, will have less specialized diagnostic testing and a smaller selection of hearing aid manufacturers available to them (and you!).

#3 Ask About the Turn Around Time for Repairs

If there ever is an issue with your hearing aid and you need it repaired, it’s always nice to know that you can get it done in a timely fashion. In addition to knowing how long one can expect before a repair is completed, it is equally important to know that a hearing aid can be loaned to you, programmed according to your hearing loss, and provided during this downtime. If it’s a more common repair, many of the more reputable clinics may even be able to repair it at their location, requesting no more than a half-hour to forty-five minutes to do so. Most hearing aids that have to leave our clinic for a manufacturer repair will be turned around within five business days from when you brought your hearing aid to us to when you get it back. Very occasionally, it MIGHT take eight or nine days.



#4 Know the Trial Period for Hearing Aids and Ask About the Warranty

It is the industry standard to grant a minimum trial period of two months to anyone purchasing hearing aids. There are some more reputable clinics who might offer three. This gives you the opportunity to get a feel for what could become a near-permanent accessory. This trial period should be used to make sure you are comfortable with them, know how to use them properly, etc. In addition, a warranty should cover somewhere in the range of three years on a given pair of hearing aids, covering you for all clinic fees (except batteries) for the entire warranty period.

#5 Ask about Other Charges to Purchasing Hearing Aids

There are some clinics that will charge additional after purchase fees, even during the warranty period of the hearing aids. These are typically related to re-programming or repairs. Many clinics will include these costs in their purchasing price, some will not; so ultimately, you need to know what the warranty includes. The clinics that are upfront about these costs are the ones you want to trust. In Ontario, hearing aid invoices provided are unbundled to show you all extra fees in addition to the purchase price of the hearing aid. Hearing aids are not “marked up”; dispensing fees and office warranties cover the clinic’s services. There are no taxes currently on hearing aids.

#6 Will a Clinic be Willing to Complete a Home Visit

Most reputable clinics will assist you or your loved one with respect to home visits for follow-up care. If this is a service you require or would like, it is important to ask about it and ensure that this is something the clinic is willing to consider. The first visit to the Audiologist should be conducted in the office, with a sound booth, calibrated diagnostic equipment, and educational literature.

#7 Pay Attention to the Business Side of the Clinic

Details are important. Get to know whether the clinic is fully staffed Monday to Friday, if they are only open part-time, and what the availability is. If it’s a big box store, ask if there is always a hearing professional on duty during open hours or is there just a rep there to book appointments for the “specialist” to visit once a month. In order to cut down costs, some companies offering audiology hearing aid services will cut down on service.

At Schneiker Audiology Services, we work to ensure that we have the needed resources in place to give the best possible service, the most availability, and accommodating any repairs we can. We always have a hearing professional on staff during open hours and would advise anyone curious about our service to have a visit during business hours for more information.

#8. Talk to your friends, family and neighbours.

When in doubt, ask a neighbour who has hearing aids what their experience with their chosen clinic was like. Our best marketing tool is the cheapest – word of mouth from satisfied/happy Schneiker Audiology patients!

As our snowbirds begin to venture down south this winter, there are a number of things to keep in mind as it pertains to your hearing aids.

Schedule a hearing aid tune-up before leaving.

To ensure that there are not any unexpected events down south and you’re caught in a region where getting your hearing aids fixed can be difficult, getting a hearing aid tune-up before leaving is a must. Schneiker Audiology Services offers a walk-in service equipped to provide immediate extensive cleaning and a computerized verification of the hearing aid’s performance. You don’t need to schedule an appointment, just simply visit us at our location. Typically we will be able to help you within the day, if not on the spot.

If there are serious repair issues that need to be addressed by sending the aid(s) to the hearing aid manufacturer, expect approximately one week for the repair. At all times, we ensure that either a Doctor of Audiology or a Hearing Instrument Specialist is present during working hours to assist you with all of your hearing aids’ needs.

What do I do if my hearing aid breaks down in the south?

If your hearing aids break down while you are vacationing/living down south, contact your hearing health care provider by email, or telephone. Though this can complicate things, if there is a problem while you are already living down south, this is the only thing left to do. This is why we recommend always getting a quick check-up or cleaning prior to going down, to ensure that you are best equipped for your time there.

Should I do anything else before leaving down south?

Schneiker Audiology serves to counsel and educate its customers as it relates to troubleshooting any hearing aid issues and upholding hearing aid maintenance requirements. We also provide video reminders as well. If your hearing aids need to be serviced, simply contact us with your demographic information and we would be happy to locate a reputable hearing aid clinic in your area. We can also provide you with all the warranty information just in case you don’t travel with your warranty card. If you’re travelling for an extended period of time down south, a hearing aid wearer should be advised to make contact with us for any additional information you may wish to know.

Is there anything else I should know or that I can do in preparation of travelling south?

If you’re travelling for an extended period of time down south, there are a few things you may want to do yourself to prepare your hearing aids. For example, ensure that you have enough supplies for the entire duration of your trip. Ensure that you have purchased enough batteries from your local hearing aid clinic. If you wish, pick up some extra complementary filters, domes, cleaning cloths, carrying cases or pouches, and battery caddies!

Hearing aids have significantly improved the travel experience for numerous hearing impaired tourists. We know you don’t want to be running into any issues when you’re out and about down south. Contact Schneiker Audiology to get yourself a tune-up and to prepare yourself for your trip. We will ensure that your hearing aids continue to provide you with a top level performance while away from home.

Don’t be straining to hear tour guides, struggling to hear boarding announcements, or having difficulty trying to negotiate unfamiliar public transportation. When you’re down south, have a hassle-free experience with your hearing aids. Consult with Schneiker Audiology today for more information.