Ask your audiologist...
Dr. Tia Flynn | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 2 months AGO
My father claims that he is "tone deaf" and hearing aids won't help him. Is this true?
I have had patients tell me that they were told by their doctors 10-20 years ago that hearing aids would not help "tone deafness". This is NOT true. Tone deafness is just a short way of saying high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss, which IS the type of hearing loss hearing aids are good for.
I would recommend that your father get a new opinion. If he is not willing to get a new evaluation with what is available today, he is hanging onto that one (tone deaf excuse) he was told years ago, and that is a shame because he could have enjoyed many years of hearing well.
Ten to 20 years ago, technology did not do a very good job of helping people with high-frequency hearing loss. Older conventional aids used to amplify everything in the room the same, but now we have quite a few models of hearing aids designed just for high-frequency hearing loss. We now have open-fit and receiver-in-the-canal hearing aids that are programmed just to bring in the high frequencies a person is missing, and not amplify the low frequencies and noise frequencies that a person doesn't need.
Technology has made great strides in this area, especially in the last five to 10 years. If you were ever told that hearing aids would not help you, you should have a new evaluation and get a new opinion because with today's technology, most hearing loss can be helped.
High-frequency hearing loss is very common with men who worked in noisy occupations. Most of my North Idaho male patients worked in noise at some point in their lives. The military, mining, logging and mill work were very damaging to the ears, so now they experience high-frequency hearing loss. When someone has high-frequency hearing loss, they will have trouble hearing women and children more than other men; whenever there is background noise, they will really have a hard time understanding who they are trying to hear.
Dr. Tia Flynn is a certified audiologist and has been in business for more than 14 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 our newly updated website www.affordablehearinginc.com for an online hearing test 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.