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Kirkyz

Kirkyz Acoustix Calgary Hearing Clinic We are a family owned, local hearing healthcare centre with over a decade of experience. Whether you're on a journey to understand hearing aids, improve your auditory skills, or simply seeking valuable tips for maintaining a healthy auditory lifestyle, you've come to the right place.

Hearing Tests in Calgary: Ensuring Healthy Hearing
Education

Hearing Tests in Calgary: Ensuring Healthy Hearing

by Kirkyz
written by Kirkyz

Maintaining good hearing health is essential for a high quality of life. Just as we regularly visit the dentist or optometrist, it is equally important to prioritize our hearing health by scheduling regular hearing tests. In the vibrant city of Calgary, there are numerous options for comprehensive hearing tests in Calgary that can assess your hearing abilities and provide insights into any potential hearing loss. In this article, we will explore the importance of hearing tests, the process of a hearing evaluation, and the benefits of seeking professional help in Calgary. Whether you are experiencing signs of hearing loss or simply want to proactively monitor your hearing health, a hearing test in Calgary can provide valuable information and guidance.

 

The Importance of Hearing Tests in Calgary

Hearing loss is a common condition that can occur gradually over time or suddenly due to various factors. It is estimated that approximately 15% of adults in Canada have some degree of hearing loss. Recognizing the signs of hearing loss and seeking a hearing test are crucial steps in maintaining healthy hearing. Here are a few reasons why hearing tests matter:

  1. Early Detection: Regular hearing tests can detect changes in your hearing abilities at an early stage. Detecting hearing loss early allows for prompt treatment and management, leading to better outcomes.
  2. Preventative Measures: Hearing tests not only help identify existing hearing loss but also provide an opportunity for preventative measures. By understanding your hearing abilities, you can take proactive steps to protect your hearing, such as using hearing protection in loud environments or adopting healthy listening habits.
  3. Improved Communication: Addressing hearing loss through a hearing test can significantly improve your communication abilities. By addressing any hearing difficulties, you can enhance your interactions with loved ones, colleagues, and the world around you.
  4. Quality of Life: Hearing loss can impact various aspects of your life, including social interactions, work performance, and overall well-being. By undergoing regular hearing tests, you can maintain a high quality of life and enjoy all the sounds and experiences the world has to offer.

 

The Hearing Test Process

A comprehensive hearing test involves a series of evaluations and assessments to determine the state of your hearing health. When you visit a hearing clinic in Calgary, you can expect the following steps during a hearing test:

  1. Initial Consultation
    At the beginning of your appointment, you will have an initial consultation with a hearing care professional. This consultation allows you to discuss any concerns, symptoms, or questions you may have regarding your hearing health. It is essential to provide accurate information about your medical history, any medications you are taking, and any exposure to loud noises or other factors that may have contributed to potential hearing loss.
  2. Physical Examination
    After the initial consultation, a physical examination of your ears may be conducted. This examination involves inspecting the external ear and ear canal using a special instrument called an otoscope. The audiologist or hearing care professional will check for any visible signs of blockages, infections, or abnormalities that may affect your hearing.
  3. Pure Tone Audiometry
    Pure tone audiometry is a common test used to measure your hearing thresholds. During this test, you will be seated in a soundproof booth and provided with headphones or earphones. You will then be presented with a series of tones at different frequencies and volumes. Your task is to indicate when you can hear each tone by pressing a button or raising your hand. This test helps determine the softest sounds you can hear at different frequencies, providing a comprehensive overview of your hearing abilities.
  4. Speech Audiometry
    Speech audiometry assesses your ability to understand speech in various listening conditions. The hearing care professional will play recorded speech or words at different volumes, and you will be asked to repeat or identify them. This test measures your speech recognition abilities and helps determine how well you can understand speech in both quiet and noisy environments.
  5. Additional Tests
    Depending on your specific needs and concerns, additional tests may be conducted during your hearing test. These tests can include tympanometry, which assesses the movement of your eardrum and middle ear function, and otoacoustic emissions (OAE) testing, which measures the sounds produced by the inner ear in response to stimuli.
  6. Results and Recommendations
    After completing the hearing tests, the hearing care professional will review the results with you. They will explain your hearing thresholds, any areas of concern, and provide recommendations for further treatment or management if necessary. This may include options such as hearing aids, assistive listening devices, or communication strategies to optimize your hearing abilities.

 

Benefits of Seeking Professional Help in Calgary

When it comes to your hearing health, seeking professional help from a trusted hearing care provider in Calgary offers numerous benefits. Here are a few reasons why it is important to consult a professional for your hearing test:

Expertise and Experience: Hearing care professionals have extensive training and experience in evaluating and managing hearing loss. They possess the knowledge and skills necessary to accurately diagnose and address various hearing conditions.

Comprehensive Assessments: Professional hearing tests conducted by hearing care professionals are comprehensive and thorough. They use advanced equipment and techniques to assess the different aspects of your hearing health, providing a complete picture of your hearing abilities.

Tailored Treatment Plans: By seeking professional help, you can receive personalized treatment plans tailored to your specific hearing needs. Hearing care professionals take into account your lifestyle, communication preferences, and budget when recommending hearing solutions, ensuring the best possible outcomes for you.

Access to Advanced Technology: Hearing care providers in Calgary have access to the latest hearing aid technology and assistive listening devices. By consulting a professional, you can explore a wide range of options that fit your unique needs and preferences, promoting optimal hearing and communication. We also address your concerns like why hearing aids are so expensive, our hearing aid advantages and what works best for your individual situation. 

Conclusion

Prioritizing your hearing health through regular hearing tests is crucial for overall well-being and quality of life. In Calgary, numerous hearing care providers offer comprehensive hearing evaluations to assess your hearing abilities and address any potential hearing loss. By seeking professional help, you can receive expert guidance, personalized treatment plans, and access to advanced hearing solutions. Take the first step towards healthy hearing by scheduling a hearing test in Calgary and ensure that you can continue to enjoy all the sounds and experiences the world has to offer.

Remember, Kirkyz Acoustix is a family-owned, local hearing healthcare center in Calgary, with over a decade of experience. We are committed to providing the best care and attention to our clients, offering comprehensive hearing tests, custom hearing protection, and education on hearing preservation. Don’t let hearing loss hold you back – schedule a hearing test with us today and embark on your journey to better hearing health.

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Education

Hearing and Hearing Loss

by Kirkyz
written by Kirkyz

Your life, your world, your hearing.

Good hearing is so important in our everyday lives, yet most people with normal hearing don’t even think twice about what it means to be able to hear well. Chatting with friends, listening to the sounds of nature, enjoying music or hearing warning signals – they take it all for granted.

Our hearing plays an important role in how we relate to our surroundings. It facilitates the forming of relationships, and opens up a wealth of sensory experiences. It is also very complex and extremely sensitive.

So let’s give it the attention it deserves …

How hearing works:

The ear is an amazing and incredibly skilled organ that performs the wonderful and highly complex task of hearing. It can distinguish between 7,000 different pitches and enables the brain to locate sound sources.

The human ear consists of three parts – the outer, middle, and inner ear.

Outer ear: The outer ear picks up sound and transmits it to the eardrum via the ear canal

Middle ear: Sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate. The ossicles, called malleus, incus, and stapes, pass the vibration on to the inner ear.

Inner ear: The cochlea converts movements of the ossicles into electrical signals. The auditory nerve transmits the signals to the brain.

The following video demonstrates how hearing works:

Hearing loss

Hearing loss generally develops slowly over many years; the effects become apparent only gradually. This makes it difficult for those affected to recognize that they are actually suffering from a hearing impairment. Relatives, friends or colleagues are often the first to realize that something is wrong.

However, there are clear signs that your hearing is not entirely as it should be. Perhaps you find it difficult to understand phone conversations clearly? Does your family complain about the volume when you are listening to the radio or television? Do you find it difficult to follow a conversation in a restaurant or when there is a lot of noise in the street around you? Do you often feel exhausted after family celebrations because listening is such an effort? Do you hear better when you are able to look at the person talking to you?

All these are typical signs of a hearing impairment. But don’t worry; hearing loss is not something simply to be endured. You can – and should – do something about it.

Many people find it hard to come to terms with the idea of wearing hearing aids. They put off the decision and only do something about it when the problems associated with poor hearing simply become too much for them.

Still, the earlier you do something about hearing loss, the better. Even when hearing is just starting to deteriorate, hearing aids help to maintain neural pathways in your brain responsible for hearing all the sounds around you. The longer you put off hearing aids, the harder it will be for you to get used to them when you do finally wear them, and more importantly, the more you’ll miss out in life.

Possible impacts of hearing loss:

  • Decreased attention
  • Diminished understanding of speech
  • Trouble communicating with others
  • Diminished memory
  • Less willing to embrace the unknown
  • Declining job performance
  • Lack of acknowledgement by others
  • Irritability, stress, depression
  • Withdrawal from social life, isolation

Hearing impairments can occur in all parts of the ear; dysfunctions of the outer or middle ear can generally be treated with medication or surgery. However, a good 80 % of all hearing impairments are caused by dysfunctions of or damage to the inner ear. Today, modern hearing aids can compensate for most inner ear damage.

However, no two cases of hearing loss are the same. Most often people with a hearing impairment are unable to distinguish soft tones and high-pitched sounds and have difficulties hearing sounds such as whispers, children’s voices or birdsong.

This video helps to understand hearing loss:

Binaural hearing: two ears hear better than one

Nature gave us two ears for a reason: Binaural Hearing, or hearing with both ears, helps us localize sounds no matter where they come from. It also allows us to precisely focus on what we want to hear by letting us perceive certain sounds like speech louder and clearer while ignoring others. A few of the most important binaural processes include binaural redundancy, binaural squelch, and binaural directed listening.

Binaural redundancy

When we hear a sound in both ears, it’s like hearing the same sound twice. This helps our brain create a better perceptual image of the sound. With hearing loss, this effect is significantly reduced. Wearing two hearing instruments helps to bring back the benefit of binaural redundancy.

Binaural squelch

In situations where there is both noise and speech, hearing with both ears helps our brain to give speech sounds preference to noise. This makes speech seem louder than it really is. With hearing loss, this effect is significantly reduced. Wearing two hearing instruments helps to bring back the benefit of binaural squelch.

Binaural directed listening

In noisy situations with many different sounds coming from different places, hearing with both ears helps our brain pick out the one single sound source we’re interested in and focus on it. With hearing loss, this effect is significantly reduced. Wearing two hearing instruments helps to bring back the benefit of binaural directed listening.

Take action now

It is only when hearing starts to deteriorate noticeably that we realize just how important good hearing is in our everyday lives. And how much we miss out when we no longer hear well.Why take action as soon as possible?

Hearing loss is a gradual process

Hearing loss is usually a gradual process that takes many years – so gradual that we don’t immediately recognize its negative effects in our lives.

Untreated hearing loss impacts our lives

Communication problems with family, friends, and colleagues can lead to irritability, stress, isolation, and even depression.

The sooner the better

The earlier we are properly fit with hearing aids, the better, even if you only have slight hearing loss.

Training your brain

When you hear well again with hearing aids, the brain is stimulated and mental vitality is maintained.

Get more out of life

Quality of life is enhanced, resulting in unrestricted interpersonal communication and social interaction.

Being able to hear well again has many positive effects. Studies show that the large majority of hearing aid wearers are very or extremely satisfied with their hearing aids. Experienced users report that their social contacts, as well as their physical and mental well-being, have improved markedly. They feel fitter and much more ready to take on new things.

Be open to your new hearing experiences. It will improve your quality of life.

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Education

Use of Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants Associated With a Decreased Risk of Developing Dementia

by Kirkyz
written by Kirkyz

Summary: In those with hearing loss, using hearing aids or cochlear implants was associated with a long-term reduction of cognitive decline by 19% and a 3% improvement in cognitive test scores.

Source: Alzheimer’s Research UK

Researchers have published findings which suggest that the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants can reduce the risk of developing dementia by slowing down cognitive decline, such as memory loss.

The use of hearing aids and cochlear implants by people with hearing loss was found to reduce long-term cognitive decline by 19%. Furthermore, the use of these devices led to a 3% improvement in cognitive test scores, including an individual’s ability to problem solve.

The results were published in JAMA Neurology, using a meta-analysis (a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies).

Dr. Susan Mitchell, Head of Policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said, “There’s increasingly clear evidence that people who lose their hearing as they get older are at increased risk of developing dementia. This study provides further compelling evidence of this link, but unanswered questions remain.”

“Dementia research has made great strides in recent months, but there’s a long way to go—and interventions that can reduce people’s dementia risk must be a public health priority.”

“People must be able to access hearing tests if they are concerned about their hearing, so suitable support, like hearing aids, can be offered at an early stage, and help maintain their brain health.”

“Going forward, researchers must unpick exactly how hearing loss influences the risk of developing dementia. We also need to know who is most at risk and could benefit most from interventions like hearing aids.”

“Knowing this will help health services allocate resources and support those that need it.”

Original Source: https://neurosciencenews.com/hearing-aid-dementia-22015/

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