Ask your audiologist
Dr. Tia Flynn | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 14 years, 7 months AGO
People with hearing loss typically talk louder than they need to because they are less able to self-monitor their own voice. When one has hearing loss their own voice is damped from that hearing loss. Usually the more severe the hearing loss the louder someone will speak without hearing aids.
It is amazing how a properly fit pair of hearing aids will help someone tone their own voice down to normal speaking levels. I see it in the office on a daily basis. Someone comes in talking really loud and then I clean, re-tube or repair their hearing aid and put it back in their ear and they tend to speak in a more normal volume again.
I have experienced this myself with ear plugs. If you put a pair of ear plugs in your ear you will speak louder because you can't hear yourself as well. This is the same thing a hearing impaired person goes through.
It can be embarrassing for friends, spouses and family when someone with hearing loss won't wear their hearing aids and walks around talking super loud. Other people are looking at you wondering what is wrong with you that you have to talk so loud.
Some people may wonder if you have been drinking. Drunk people will tend to speak louder than normal. If someone is speaking louder than normal they should have their ears checked for ear wax and screened for hearing loss.
Dr. Tia Flynn is a certified audiologist and has been in business for more than 10 years. Every Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, Dr. Flynn provides free hearing screenings at 1601 Third St. in Coeur d'Alene. (208) 664-2767. Visit www.affordablehearinginc.com for a free copy of the consumers guide to hearing aids and watch helpful videos.
ARTICLES BY DR. TIA FLYNN
How long does it take to get hearing aids?
It depends on what style of hearing aid you are purchasing. If you are purchasing one of the new mini BTE’s (Behind the Ear) your hearing health care office may have some in stock that you may take home that day. There are generally two types of mini BTE’s. One is an open fit model, which has a selection of tubes, and tips that can usually fit anyone’s ear shape. The other type is a receiver in the canal, which also has a selection of receivers, and dome tips that can usually fit anyone’s ear shape. Some offices stock these types of aids but you usually have to special order the color that matches your hair.
About age-related hearing loss
Presbycusis is the medical term for age-related hearing loss. Causes of presbycusis include changes within the inner ear (damage to the tiny hair cells that pick up sound), changes in the middle ear (stiffening of the tympanic membrane and ossicles), complex changes along the nerve pathway leading to the brain, and cognitive changes in the brain.
Ask your audiologist: Free hearing help and repairs for the holidays!
Every holiday season I give back to the community by giving away a free pair of digital hearing aids to a deserving individual. I will also provide free in house repairs by appointment and bringing in a copy of this article. Everyone deserves to hear during the holidays! The holidays are usually the most important family gatherings of the year. Many people with hearing loss get left out of family conversations around the dinner table if they do not have hearing aids or if their hearing aid(s) are broken.